It is still early in the morning in one cold morning in Embu, yet the streets are still deserted, yet in a small one, a father is up already. Peter, who is a security guard and works night shift, is just home, and he is not sleeping. He wakes up his son, Kevin, who is a Class Eight student peacefully, and starts assisting him in revising his mathematics homework. Exhausted with red eyes after the night working and with a worn voice Peter forces himself not to give up because he is a teacher, but because he is a father.
He states, I do not know everything but I know I am supposed to assist him to do so. This acts of sacrifice may be taken lightly by the society altogether yet it is one of the greatest form of academic mentorship, and it occurs in most Kenyan households every day. Whether in urban apartments in Nairobi or in rural huts in Turkana, fathers are quietly but emphatically shaping up the future of their children by taking an interest in their studies. Their presence is profound, intimate, and in most cases, it is long-standing, though hardly ever noticed.
The debate regarding education and parenting in Kenya has been greatly imprisoned over to motherhood. The majority of programmes at school presuppose that it is the mothers who should monitor the academic progress of their children, attend PTA events and address the issues related to their performance raised by the teachers. It is not surprising considering that the culture and tradition have always been used in the country to define mothers as care freaks and fathers as providers.
But times are a changing and so the image of fathers. Increasingly more Kenyan dads are coming out of the darkness and into the classrooms, living rooms and study corners of their homes where learning is happening. Their presence can be seen to be quite influential in a bearing manner.
When a dad takes time to attend a school performance, assist in a science project, or even give interest to child report card, a message is worth more than the words, it makes the child know that learning is important and the child is not on his own. Among such personalities is that of Joseph who is a widowed father of three with an office in Migori County. He became the sole parent since the death of his wife. He initially found the load too heavy and particularly his level of education was so poor.
He took a choice to be there. He started reading textbooks of his children themselves at night as well as listened to teaching programs in radio to understand his children better. His daughter Miriam who was failing in English improved. She speaks out with certainty and is not easily deterred to be a lawyer. As she answered to the question, what changed, she stated, when my father started helping me, I felt that somebody had believed in me.
That confidence, that presence, that attempt, faint though it be, is what habitually gives the difference between failure and success. The father is not merely an emotion contributor to education but also practical contributor. Materially, most dads are the major payers of school fees, school uniforms, books and transport. But in addition to getting paid, they provide organizational and control.
Once a father establishes guidelines regarding the time that should be allocated to homework, bedtime and TV hours, he establishes a learning environment that enables the child to become a good learner. A child learns that he or she should be persistent when he or she is told to work hard than to produce results. When he rejoices at the small victories, the child learns how to be confident.
Unfortunately, very few fathers see the importance of such actions and this is mainly due to society that has never celebrated or made an acknowledgment of such actions. Their contributions are never mentioned, and their life stories never told. This is an expression of cultural bias and systemic silence.
In Kenya, the role of fathers can be identified based on the law which has a good background. According to Article 53 in the Constitution of Kenya, all children are entitled to care and protection by their parents, such that the care and support should equally be given by both parents.
This is further strengthened in the Children Act (2022) which specified that both married and unmarried parents are equally responsible in bringing up the child. This entails physical, emotional, educational and moral support. Regrettably, majority of the reflections of this law pay much attention to financial assistance, forgetting about scholarly and emotional guidance aspect. Consequently, the policy structures and the legal system have never established the means of rewarding or actively motivating the fathers to be involved in the learning life of their children besides provision.
This practically translates to the fact that fathers are not received in schools where they are consulted or taken to workshops to learn on parenting. In fact, even teachers tend to focus their educational commentary on mothers and in case a child is not doing well in their studies, the blame and questioning falls squarely on their mothers. This discrimination is unjust and worse still, harmful. It strengthens the belief that it is upon the mother to take her children to school thus alienating the fathers more. Even worse, it deprives children of the advantages of influence of both parents.
The African Population and Health Research Center examined children across Kenya and found that children whose fathers were involved in schooling activities (attending school events, helping with homework and so on) had much better results with the literacy and numeracy. They also experience increased self-esteem and less prone to risky activities. This is particularly worse in the underprivileged sections of society where lack of education is compounded by poverty, insecurity and poor infrastructure. These fathers also have been found to be stabilizing in areas, which take high dropouts, such as Garissa, Turkana and Marsabit.
In one case, a group of fathers in Lodwar has organized itself into a learning circle whereby they help teach each other how to read and write as well as share assistance with their children at a time when one of them is unwell and unable to collect homework and assist the child. They do this through capturing the children under trees and employing a former teacher to mentor them.
What they are trying to express is that education does count and being a father is an active one. This trend, even though remains minor, is slightly picking up. Non-governmental groups such as MenCare and The Fatherhood Institute and even a local Kenyan group (the Boy Child Initiative) have begun raising the voices of involved fathers. These groups hold awareness programs, community discussion, support groups, which are aimed at persuading men to join education.
Their idea is strong- when fathers are okay, children succeed. Counties such as Makueni and Kisii have already started piloting on how to train the fathers on how to engage in the education of the child like how to read the school reports, communicate to the schools, and how to instill a learning procedure at home. The other reason international models show that involving fathers is worthwhile.
In Canada, children born to fathers who read to their children before the age of six displayed good results in compositition and vocabulary scale. The Fathers Reading Every Day campaign resulted in rising grades and behavioural issues being low in Australian schools.
Fathers in Rwanda have been taught how to assist their children at school through community based Parenting Evenings, a practice that has seen girls stay in school longer than before. These models can be studied by Kenya. It is time to launch the education of fathers; however, not only in cities, but predominantly in the country where cultural stereotypes related to the role of men are still powerful.
Part of the solution lies in schools themselves. Headteachers and Boards of Management should deliberately create space for fathers. Schools can hold ‘Fathers’ Day’ events focused not on gifts but on academic mentorship. They can create fathers’ committees to mirror mothers’ unions. Teachers can be trained to include both parents in their communications.
And ministries can develop policy guidelines that reward father-led academic initiatives at local levels. A father who volunteers in school activities, mentors a group of boys, or sponsors school reading materials should be recognized. Not necessarily with money, but with honor, certificates, public acknowledgment—something to show that society values that effort.
On a social level, communities must shift their mindset. Religious leaders, elders, and local influencers need to promote fatherhood as an active and emotional responsibility, not just a financial duty. Sermons and public gatherings can become platforms to challenge stereotypes. The narrative that only mothers care and only fathers pay must be rewritten. In fact, the cost of ignoring fathers in education is too high.
Children grow up with skewed ideas about gender roles, and boys especially, lose out on critical emotional guidance. Without positive father figures, many boys turn to peers, gangs, or the streets to define manhood. The consequences include increased violence, early school dropout, and broken family cycles.
And let us not forget the silent struggle of the single father. In Kenya today, many men are raising children alone, due to death, divorce, or separation. These fathers juggle roles, emotions, and expectations. Their journey is often lonely, but their determination is powerful. Their stories must be heard too. There is John in Nakuru, who wakes up early to plait his daughter’s hair before school. There is Musa in Mombasa, who sells snacks to fund his son’s boarding fees. These men are doing more than their fair share, and they are shaping future leaders through daily acts of love and learning. Their stories are lessons in dedication.
Even the academicians concur that involvement of father in education is beneficial.University of Nairobi professor Grace Wanjiku claims that fathers also introduce an alternative complementary style of guidance, which enhances the capacity of a child to think without the supervision and to act independently.She points out that the emphasis of the fathers is more towards application, strategic thinking, and competition, which reduces the value system of the mother who is more into the detail, caring, and supporting.
Dr. Ochieng who is a family therapist says that a supportive father ensures that children take school matters seriously as effort is equal to honor in their eyes.When a father reads a note on child school diary, this tells the child that, he or she values his or her performance.The policy gap most bearing on this matter can also not be forgotten.
Structured paternal engagement has not been captured under Kenya education reform agenda yet. The Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), with its high contents concerning parental participation, fails to differentiate the roles or even focus on the fathers. This is a lost chance.
The modules targeting the parents to orientate them on topics such as career mentorship, value formation as well as learning support ought to be prepared by the government. Something small like fathers being reminded by SMS or special fathers sections in between the school newsletters can make quite a difference. National media are capable of raising attention to examples of successful father-student teams, making it an example of others.
Dads do not live to an ideal. They are prone to mistakes as mothers do. When they make the effort, when they inquire concerning exams, when they are present in prize days, when they do revision with their children, the impacts are life time. The child feels identified, favored and unique. And in a world rife with distractions, discouragement and danger, that is one of the best things a father can do.
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