President William Ruto has come to the defense of his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, over criticism of the Linda Mama programme, describing it as a well-intentioned and impactful initiative that laid the groundwork for broader healthcare reforms in the country.

Speaking on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at UMMA University in Kajiado County, Ruto emphasised the importance of acknowledging and appreciating past efforts that contributed to national progress, singling out the Linda Mama initiative as a steppingstone in Kenya’s universal health coverage journey.

““Maybe use this occasion to the defence my former boss, the former President (Uhuru). To defend him, we should be a bit more magnanimous toward him. The Linda Mama program was a great program that we developed. Under the leadership of President Uhuru, we learnt a lot from the Linda Mama program,” the Head of State said.

Launched during Uhuru’s tenure, the Linda Mama programme aimed to provide free maternal healthcare to expectant women across the country. Critics had recently questioned its effectiveness and sustainability, prompting Ruto’s remarks in defense of the initiative.

“Because of the experiences, because of the lessons learnt, from the Linda Mama program, we designed the Linda Jamii program, which was an improvement. Linda Mama was good; Linda Jamii is obviously better. And therefore, it is an improvement from what it was in terms of the scope from just the delivery by the mothers, which was the primary target of Linda Mama,” President Ruto added.

President Ruto went on to outline how the new Linda Jamii programme expands upon the original Linda Mama model, offering a more comprehensive approach to maternal and family health.

“We improved it in terms of scope, from just delivery, which was the primary target, we have now expanded it to cover prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care. And it is no longer just targeting mama. It is targeting the whole jamii, the mother, the children, the household,” he asserted.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale while speaking during the same event had emphasized that “the benefits of Linda Mama have not been scrapped.”

He explained that previously, mothers were given Ksh2,000 to Ksh5,000 and could only access services at dispensaries and health centers.

“No one has scrapped Linda Mama. But what have we done? We have enhanced the cover of the mother and added the family, the children.” Duale said.

“And if you think Linda Mama was a big thing for you, how come it has not reduced the maternal mortality rate in our country?”

He further highlighted improvements made under the new scheme. “We have enhanced, we have introduced prenatal, postnatal delivery, and we have given the whole family coverage. Today under SHA, 627,155 mothers have delivered in Kenya.”

Former President Kenyatta last week expressed concern that “many of the gains of the past have been eroded,” criticizing the replacement of Linda Mama with “new, untried and untested schemes.”

He lamented that while these new programs are being tested, “Kenyans suffer, and our progress is dragged.” Kenyatta also called for government resources to be used for the betterment of citizens rather than confrontation.

“This machine that we built was not meant to face the citizens. It was not supposed to be a source of fear and conflict with our citizens. Ilikuwa ya kulinda wananchi sio kuumiza,” the former President said.

In addition to the health debate, Kenyatta praised the youth for their role in the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests and encouraged them to take leadership roles in shaping the country’s future.