Ruto defends Uhuru’s remarks on Linda Mama programme
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 stepping stone in Kenya’s universal health coverage journey.
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“And maybe in defence of my former boss. Former President. We should be a bit magnanimous to him. He led our country, and the Linda Mama programme was a great program. We developed it under his leadership and learned a lot from it,” the Head of State said.
Also Watch: Uhuru Criticises Replacement of Linda Mama with Untested Schemes
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 learned from the Linda Mama programme, we designed the Jamii programme, which was an improvement. So Linda Mama was good. Linda Jamii is obviously better,” Ruto explained.
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.
Ruto’s remarks come amid backlash over the transition to the Social Health Authority (SHA) service, which critics are saying has added cost, leaving many pregnant mothers vulnerable, hence increased maternal deaths.
Uhuru on SHA
Speaking during the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference on Friday, September 26, 2025, Uhuru, without directly mentioning SHA, said Kenyans are being subjected to experimental schemes that are untested and untried.
“Today, Linda Mama has been abandoned and replaced by new, untried, and untested schemes. While we wait for these experiments to succeed, Kenyans continue to suffer and our progress is slowed,” he said.
Uhuru warned that dwelling on rhetoric instead of delivering real progress often leads to repeating past mistakes.
“As we dwell on rhetoric rather than real progress, we repeat the mistakes of the past. The past can guide us, but it is the present that can shape the future,” he told the delegates.
He urged Jubilee Party members to reflect on their direction and the lessons learned.
“We need to ask ourselves: where are we, and where do we want to go? Some things have become apparent to me.
“You succeed by building on past successes, injecting new ideas, and improving upon them; and you fail by ignoring past mistakes, thereby falling into the trap of repeating them,” Uhuru stated.
