What Mike Sonko wants parents to teach their children after daughter's ordeal

Earlier this week, the video of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko storming the home of his daughter to rescue her from a spouse who he accused of violence went viral.

Many saw a supportive father who stood firm to rescue her daughter from slipping into the shadows of an abusive marriage.

Putting the glitter and public bravado aside, Sonko stormed his daughter’s home in response to a distress call and documented his ordeal which captured the pain of a father determined to rescue his daughter trapped in violence hidden behind closed doors.

With the pain still fresh and glad that his daughter came back home alive, the politician who is known for bold fashion is opening up to other parents, sharing the lessons about listening, noticing, and protecting their children long before danger swallows them whole.

Many praised Sonko for showing up for his daughter, acknowledging that rescuing her was not just an act of courage; it was an act of love filled with lessons that parents should learn; the silent suffering that their children may endure while they assume they are safe.

Lessons parents should teach their children

In touch with the surge in gender-based violence and femicide across the country, Sonko appealed to parents to teach their sons and daughters that it is okay to walk out of an abusive relationship and return home.

He noted that this bold action of closing a chapter of violence and coming home alive is better than the tragic outcome of being brought home in a coffin, having been killed in an abusive relationship characterized by physical violence.

Sonko packed his lesson in a brief post that reflected what it truly means to love a child, the fact that a broken heart is a wound that can heal and the reality that there is no shame in walking out of an abusive relationship.

Dear fellow parents, teach your sons & daughters that coming home after a failed relationship is better than coming home in a coffin.

The aftermath of Sonko’s bold actions

Sonko’s experience highlighted a growing national concern: the hidden realities of abuse behind closed doors that rarely makes it beyond the house until it is too late with tragic outcomes in a number of cases.

His actions have inspired many to speak out on their experiences and sparked a conversation on GBV across social media spaces.

The swift response to the distress call saw his daughter walk away from her partner, returning to her parents’ home along with her children.

Notably, Sonko is using that painful chapter to offer parents and Kenyans across the country something far more valuable than headlines; sharing lessons that can

“Instead of having an abusive relationship or marriage, It is better kuwa na divorce decree kwa nyumba than a eulogy booklet for your daughter or son. This educative process must continue until all our mothers old or young stand firmly against GBV.” Reads one post from his social media pages.

While sharing experience from his marriage to Primrose Mbuvi, Sonko has also been advocating for peaceful resolution of disputes among couples and those in relationships, making it clear that violence and harm of any nature is not an option.