KITENGELA — Kipchumba Murkomen, the man charged with securing Kenya’s borders and streets, has identified a security gap no police officer can fill: the empty chair at the family dinner table.

In a rare and vulnerable admission during a church service in Kitengela yesterday, the Interior Cabinet Secretary revealed that his wife, Gladys Wanjiru, abandoned her own legal career to raise their children full-time—a sacrifice he claims is the bedrock of his ability to serve the nation.

"There is nothing that can replace personal attention to your children," Murkomen told the congregation at the Reformed Church of East Africa (R.C.E.A) Women League Annual Convention. "Mimi at least nko lucky bibi yangu aliwacha kazi akasema wacha nikae na watoto (I am at least lucky my wife left her job and said let me stay with the children)."

The Cost of the Hustle

Murkomen’s confession strikes a chord in a country where the "hustle" often demands 16-hour days just to keep the lights on. He acknowledged the financial trade-off of a single-income household, noting that his wife’s decision forced him to accelerate his own grind.

"So I have to work double ndio ni support bibi na ni support watoto (so I can support my wife and children) because she is helping me to make sure there is someone looking after the kids all the time," he explained.

While the CS’s salary allows for such an arrangement—a luxury millions of Kenyan families struggling with the cost of living cannot afford—his underlying message was about presence, not just economics. He warned that in the race to provide material wealth, parents are inadvertently bankrupting their children’s moral futures.

Outsourcing Parenting to TikTok

Switching from personal anecdote to national security, the Interior CS drew a direct line between absentee parenting and the rising tide of social ills. He argued that the modern Kenyan child is being raised by a dangerous committee of four: teachers, pastors, nannies, and the algorithm.

• The Vacuum: "The role of parenting is increasingly being left to teachers, pastors, nannies, and the internet," he warned.
• The Consequence: He attributed the spike in juvenile crime and social deviance directly to this lack of guidance.
• The Fix: "Even you as mothers, create as much time and talk to our kids."

The warning comes as Kenyan parents grapple with the influence of unmoderated digital content, where influencers often replace fathers as role models. Murkomen’s stance suggests that the Ministry of Interior views the family unit not just as a social structure, but as the first line of defense against crime.

A Lawyer’s Sacrifice

Gladys Wanjiru, a lawyer by profession, has largely stayed out of the limelight despite her husband’s high-profile career. Her decision to step back from the courtroom to manage the home front is a narrative that challenges the modern pressure to "have it all."

For the ordinary mwananchi, the takeaway is stark. You may not be able to quit your job, but you can quit the distraction. As the festive season approaches—a time when families gather but often stare at screens—Murkomen’s advice serves as a timely pivot: the most expensive gift you can give your child this Christmas isn't a gadget, but your attention.

"Some of the prevailing social ills and crimes in our society today are attributable to a lack of parental attention," Murkomen concluded. "We must return to the basics."