Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called on young people to respect authority and the elderly, saying that while older generations must also listen and guide with humility, respect must be mutual for the country to move forward.
Speaking during the National Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, Kindiki said young people should allow themselves to be mentored by those who have walked before them.
He stressed that some lessons can only be learned through life experience and not through formal education.
"We respectfully request our children also to respect authority and also agree to be mentored and supported so that mutually, even as we respect them, hear them, apologise, they should equally respect older people, even if not for any other reason. There are things you will only learn in the school of life," Kindiki said.
Kindiki noted that the potential of young people is great, but they need guidance to make their lives even stronger. He called on the youth to embrace mentorship and wisdom from elders to shape their future.
"As much as we agree with the need for us to reconcile and build relations with our children, we request our children to also realise there is a role we can play not necessarily by science or the things they know but a few tips that could make their powerful lives more powerful," he added.
The remarks came after a keynote address by preacher and former NFL player Rickey Allen Bolden, who said Generation Z is not looking for pity or lectures, but for respect and love.
"Gen Z are dying to be loved, they are dying to be respected. They have grown up, gone to college. Some of the Gen Zs are smarter than we are ... One of the worst things that can happen for a Gen Z is to treat them like children," Rickey said.
Kindiki praised Rickey’s message, calling it “inspirational.” He admitted that older generations may have at times failed to treat the youth with the respect they deserve.
"The message of today's speaker was quite inspirational and perhaps as older people we need to treat our children who are now adults a little more respectfully, listen to them and where we go wrong there is no harm in acknowledging that we've not treated them maybe the way they expected us," he said.
Still, Kindiki stood firm that respect must go both ways. "As older people, we need to treat our children with more respect, and where we go wrong, we should be willing to acknowledge it. However, our children must also respect authority and be open to mentorship."
He also spoke about recent tensions among leaders in neighbouring countries, urging dialogue and peace.
"I hope that, in light of some of the recent exchanges we've witnessed among political leaders in our immediate neighbourhood, we can use a moment like this to help arrest the situation. It doesn’t look tidy when brothers and sisters are talking at each other," he said.