Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has disclosed that the Linda Mama maternity programme was weighed down by a Sh5.6 billion debt when the Kenya Kwanza administration assumed power.
Speaking Tuesday at the launch of Umma University in Kajiado County, Duale said the liability was part of a staggering Sh30 billion debt allegedly inherited from the now-defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“When we came into office, we were confronted with a fictitious NHIF debt amounting to Sh30 billion. Shockingly, Sh5.6 billion of this was linked to the Linda Mama programme,” Duale stated.
He described the debt as evidence of years of inefficiency and mismanagement, warning that the rot had compromised maternal and newborn healthcare. He assured that reforms under the new Social Health Authority (SHA) would seal loopholes and ensure funds directly benefit Kenyans.
“The government has embarked on far-reaching reforms to rebuild trust and restore integrity in our health sector,” the CS said, adding that accountability systems were being tightened to stop wastage.
President William Ruto, who graced the same event, took a more conciliatory approach. While admitting past flaws, he credited former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government for introducing Linda Mama, noting that it laid the foundation for his administration’s enhanced scheme, Linda Jamii.
“We immensely borrowed from Uhuru’s Linda Mama to make better the successor programme, Linda Jamii, which now comprehensively covers prenatal, natal, and postnatal care for expectant mothers,” Ruto remarked.
Launched in 2016 as part of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda, Linda Mama was designed to remove financial barriers preventing women, especially in rural and low-income areas, from accessing maternity care. The initiative enabled pregnant women to access free services in public hospitals and select private and faith-based facilities after a simple registration process.
With the rollout of Linda Jamii, the government now hopes to expand this legacy this time under stricter oversight to avoid the financial pitfalls that dogged Linda Mama.
