President William Ruto has dismissed claims that his administration scrapped the Linda Mama programme.
The Head of State intead said the maternal healthcare initiative has instead been expanded and renamed Linda Jamii to provide broader healthcare services for expectant mothers, newborns and their families under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during a meeting with artisans drawn from across Nairobi County, President Ruto said the revamped programme forms part of the government's wider healthcare reforms aimed at delivering universal health coverage and ensuring that every Kenyan can access quality medical services regardless of their financial status.
The President explained that while Linda Mama primarily focused on supporting mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, Linda Jamii offers a wider package of healthcare services from pregnancy through delivery and postnatal care, while also increasing government funding for maternity services.
"Tulikuwa na mpango wa Linda Mama, sasa ni Linda Jamii. Kila mama, Serikali ya Kenya itakulipia kwenda clinic hadi wakati wa, na baada ya kujifungua," President Ruto said.
The President said the government will pay for every expectant mother to attend antenatal clinics, receive care during childbirth and continue receiving postnatal services after delivery.
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The Linda Mama programme was introduced to remove financial barriers that prevented pregnant women from accessing skilled maternity care in hospitals and health centres. The programme sought to reduce maternal and infant deaths by ensuring expectant mothers could receive free maternity services.
Since taking over healthcare financing through the newly established Social Health Authority, the government has been rolling out reforms aimed at replacing the former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) system with a broader universal health coverage model.
President Ruto said Linda Jamii is part of those reforms and should not be viewed as the abolition of Linda Mama but rather as its expansion.
According to the President, the government has significantly increased the amount of money allocated for every mother giving birth under the programme to improve the quality of healthcare offered in hospitals.
"Zamani, bajeti ya mama kujifungua hospitalini ilikuwa Sh4,000. Kwa sasa kupitia mpango wa Linda Jamii bajeti hiyo tumeongeza mara tatu kuhakikisha kwamba kila mama anajifungua mahali ambapo kuna usafi, kuna daktari, dawa na tusipoteze wamama ama watoto wakati wa kujifungua," he said.
He said the increased funding will enable health facilities to provide cleaner maternity wards, adequate medicines, qualified medical personnel and better equipment, helping reduce deaths among mothers and newborn babies during childbirth.
President Ruto also urged Kenyans to register with the Social Health Authority, saying higher enrolment would enable the government to better plan healthcare services by accurately determining the country's medical needs.
"Mtu usikose nafasi ya kujiandikisha ndani ya SHA, kwa sababu tutahakikisha kwamba kuna madawa ya kutosha, kuna madaktari wa kutosha, na equipment. Pale Wakenya wakijiandikisha, tutajua statistics ya kuweza kupanga mambo ya matibabu ya wananchi wote wa taifa letu la Kenya," he said.
The President said information collected through SHA registration would help the government deploy sufficient doctors, medicines and medical equipment to health facilities across the country.
He maintained that expanding access to healthcare is both a government priority and a constitutional obligation.
"Katiba ya Kenya inatuamrisha kama serikali tuhakikishe kwamba kuna matibabu kwa Wakenya wote bila ya kujali mahali wametoka, bila ya kujali wako na pesa au hawana, bila ya kujali wako na payslip au hawana payslip," he said.
President Ruto said the reforms under SHA are intended to ensure that all Kenyans, whether formally employed, self-employed or unemployed, can access quality healthcare without being denied treatment because of their financial circumstances, as the government works towards achieving universal health coverage.