Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has revealed that the Linda Mama maternity programme was burdened by a debt of Sh5.6 billion when the Kenya Kwanza administration assumed office.
Speaking during the launch of Umma University in Kajiado
County on Tuesday, Duale said the Linda Mama debt formed part of a wider Sh30
billion fictitious liability 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 said.
The CS described the figure as a reflection of years of poor oversight, inefficiency and systemic rot, warning that such mismanagement had directly compromised the quality of maternal and newborn care in the country.
“That is why, under the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA), the Government has embarked on far-reaching reforms to rebuild trust and restore integrity in our health sector,” he said.
Duale emphasised that accountability mechanisms were being tightened and financial loopholes sealed to ensure every public shilling invested in health translates into tangible benefits for the people.
Despite the stern warning from the Health CS, President William Ruto, who spoke at the same event, struck a more reconciliatory tone.
While acknowledging the shortcomings of past administrations, Ruto credited former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government for laying the foundation with Linda Mama, saying it significantly informed the development of the Linda Jamii programme—his administration’s enhanced maternal healthcare scheme.
“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 said.
Introduced in 2016 under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
agenda, Linda Mama was a flagship maternal health initiative funded through
NHIF.
It aimed to eliminate financial barriers that prevented women—especially in low-income and rural areas—from accessing essential maternity services.
Open to all pregnant Kenyan women, regardless of income, Linda Mama allowed beneficiaries to seek free services at public hospitals and selected faith-based and private health facilities.
Registration was simple and could be completed at NHIF offices, accredited health centres, or via mobile platforms.
The programme covered the full continuum of maternal healthcare, including antenatal check-ups, hospital delivery (both normal and caesarean), postnatal care, immunisation for newborns, emergency referrals, and treatment of pregnancy-related complications.
Linda Mama was credited with a significant rise in facility-based deliveries and a decline in maternal and infant mortality, offering a critical lifeline to thousands of women who would otherwise face risky home births or delayed medical intervention.
