Jubilee Party Deputy Secretary General Pauline Njoroge has strongly defended the Linda Mama programme, lauding it as one of the most impactful healthcare initiatives introduced under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 27, 2025, Njoroge underscored the importance of the programme, which provided free antenatal checkups, delivery services, postnatal care, child immunisations, and treatment for complications during childbirth. She questioned whether the newly launched Linda Jamii scheme under President William Ruto’s Social Health Authority (SHA) offers the same range of free services.
“Linda Mama offered free maternity services, including antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care for mother and child. Are these services being offered for free by this Linda Jamii we have heard of today?” she asked.
Her remarks followed former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s criticism of the Kenya Kwanza government during the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference on Friday, September 26, 2025. Uhuru accused the current administration of dismantling tested programmes such as Linda Mama and replacing them with “untested schemes” that, in his view, have left many Kenyans struggling.
“Today, many of the gains we had in the past have been eroded. Linda Mama and others have been replaced by new, untried and untested schemes. And while we wait for these experiments to work, Kenyans suffer and our progress is retarded,” Uhuru remarked.
In response, government allies defended Linda Jamii, positioning it as a superior evolution of Linda Mama. DP Kithure Kindiki emphasized that unlike its predecessor, the new programme extends healthcare coverage beyond expectant mothers to include entire families.
“Linda Mama focused only on pregnant mothers. Now we have expanded it through SHA to cover mothers, the elderly, youth, and children. We call it Linda Jamii because it protects everyone, not just mothers,” Kindiki explained.
As debate over the two programmes intensifies, the future of Kenya’s maternal and family healthcare remains a central issue in the country’s policy discourse.
