The Children Act 2022 in Kenyan law stands against corporal punishment at home, school and everywhere else (Photo: iStock)
Few aspects of parenting have sparked as much discussion as discipline. For a long time, parents, caregivers, educators, child rights advocates, religious leaders, and psychologists have debated or held differing views on the best ways to discipline a child and what healthy, effective discipline looks like.
Many studies reveal that the most common form of violence inflicted on a child is physical punishment. A 2025 report by the World Health Organization stated that it can have serious effects on physical and mental wellbeing in childhood and adulthood, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and emotional instability, and in adulthood, it can cause alcohol and drug abuse, violent behaviour, and suicide.
Other studies have also shown that it can trigger hopelessness, since corporal punishment is usually meted out with belittling, humiliation, fear, or ridicule.
The Children Act 2022 in Kenyan law stands against corporal punishment at home, school, and everywhere else.
