What Kenyans Need to Know About Ruto's Linda Jamii After Uhuru’s Criticism

The debate about maternal health in Kenya has resurfaced after former President Uhuru Kenyatta criticised the government’s new Linda Jamii programme, saying it is less effective compared to his administration’s Linda Mama initiative.

Both programmes sound similar, but they are different in how they work and what they cover.

Uhuru’s Linda Mama

Linda Mama was introduced in 2016 during Uhuru’s government under the former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). It was an expansion of the Free Maternity Services programme launched in 2013.

The main aim was to lower maternal and child deaths by offering free care to expectant mothers. Services included antenatal check-ups, delivery, postnatal care, and three months of care for the newborn.

Linda Mama covered mothers for the whole pregnancy period plus three months after delivery. Accredited public, private, and faith-based facilities offered the services at no cost to mothers.

Ruto’s Linda Jamii

In June 2025, President William Ruto’s government rolled out Linda Jamii under the Social Health Authority Insurance Programme (SHA). Unlike Linda Mama, this scheme covers not just the mother but also the father and other children.

It includes antenatal visits, delivery, postnatal care, newborn services, and additional advanced care like ICU and HDU services if complications arise. A notable addition is Anti-D serum treatment, which helps Rhesus-negative mothers avoid future pregnancy complications.

The scheme also introduced new costs covered by SHA:

Normal delivery – standardised at Ksh10,000.

Caesarean section – set at Ksh34,200 with a three-day hospital stay.

Complications – extra coverage for both mothers and infants, including ICU and HDU services.

This makes Linda Jamii broader than the earlier scheme but also more expensive to sustain.

While speaking at a Jubilee Party conference on September 26, Uhuru argued that Linda Jamii was rushed and untested.

He warned that the programme, together with other government projects, may burden taxpayers without producing real benefits.

“Many gains we had in the past are being lost. New schemes have been introduced without proper testing, leaving Kenyans to suffer,” Uhuru said.

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar dismissed Uhuru’s remarks, saying his administration had settled for mediocrity.

He argued that Kenya Kwanza is fixing health and infrastructure issues without relying heavily on foreign debt, unlike Jubilee.