NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 30 – President William Ruto has defended retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Linda Mama program, noting that it laid the foundation for broader healthcare initiatives.
Speaking at Umma University in Kajiado County, the Head of State emphasized that the program’s success informed the development of the Linda Jamii initiative, which now extends coverage to children, households, and supports the roll-out of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“We should be a bit magnanimous to him, the Linda Mama program was a great program,” he said.
The Linda Mama program was first introduced under President Kenyatta’s administration as a free maternity service designed to ensure that pregnant women and newborns could access essential healthcare without financial barriers.
The initiative was credited with boosting hospital deliveries and improving maternal and child health outcomes across the country.
President Ruto emphasized that the transition to Linda Jamii is a natural progression of this vision.
Unlike Linda Mama, which focused on maternal care, Linda Jamii has been expanded to provide broader health insurance for households.
The program covers outpatient and inpatient care, emergency services, treatment for chronic illnesses, and preventive health services, targeting families and children who previously lacked coverage.
“We learned a lot from the Linda Mama program and because of the experiences; from the Linda Mama program we designed the Linda Jamii program which was an improvement from the Linda Mama program. Linda Mama was good, Linda Jamii is even better.”
The Head of State added that the new scheme aligns with the government’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda, which seeks to guarantee that every Kenyan can access quality healthcare without falling into financial hardship.
UHC is a flagship health reform being implemented jointly with counties, with the aim of reducing out-of-pocket costs that have historically excluded millions from essential care.
President Ruto said his administration is committed to strengthening healthcare delivery systems, noting that the reforms will build on past gains to ensure no Kenyan is left behind in the quest for universal access.
