The Ministry of Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has cleared the air over speculations that the Social Health Authority’s service, Linda Mama, had been scrapped by the government.
The CS made his remarks on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at Umma University, where he defended the Linda Mama service delivery while firmly stating that the service has instead been improved.
“The benefits of Linda Mama have not been scrapped; nobody has scrapped Linda Mama,” Duale said.
According to the Health CS, the Ministry of Health has enhanced the Linda Mama cover by adding the family and the children, unlike the past cover that only covered the mother.
“But what we have done is enhanced the cover of Linda, specifically of the mother, and added the family and the children,” Duale said.
While giving a detailed explanation on the enhancement, Duale revealed that in the previous cover, mothers were given stipends of up to Ksh5000 and that they could only access facilities that are dispensaries and health centers.
“We were only taking care of the mother by giving her the care of Ksh2000, or Ksh5000, and they could only access facilities that are dispensaries and health centers,” Duale explained.
Duale further confirmed that the ministry has included antenatal, postnatal, and delivery while giving the whole family a package under the enhanced Linda Jamii cover.
“We have enhanced it; we have included antenatal, postnatal, and delivery, and we have given the whole family that package,” Duale firmly stated.
CS Duale’s remarks come months after the government transitioned from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)-based Linda Mama to the Social Health Authority (SHA) Linda Jamii to provide maternal care.
In a statement on Saturday, June 21, 2025, the Ministry of Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale stated that the transition will enable the advancement of the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
He stated that the Linda Jamii package provides comprehensive care throughout the maternal journey, including antenatal care and postnatal care.
“Unlike the former NHIF scheme, which only supported the mother and newborn at delivery, the enhanced Linda Jamii now provides comprehensive care throughout the maternal journey and beyond, covering antenatal care (ANC), delivery (including both normal and Caesarean section births), postnatal care (PNC) and essential newborn services,” he stated.
Furthermore, he revealed that the package includes critical interventions, and mothers can also register their spouses and children.
“The package now includes additional critical interventions such as Anti-D serum treatment, a lifesaving measure for Rhesus-negative mothers to prevent complications in future pregnancies,” he stated.
“Under the new package, a mother can also register her spouse and children with the Linda Jamii, far surpassing the limited individual coverage previously offered by NHIF,” he added.
In the new package, normal delivery attracts a fee of Ksh10,000, while Caesarean Section (C-Section) delivery incurs a fee of Ksh30,000.
“The government has also substantially raised the reimbursement rates for maternal services; normal delivery now attracts Ksh10,000, up from the previous Ksh2,500, while Caesarean Section (C-Section) is now covered up to Ksh30,000, up from Ksh5,000,” he added.
Initially launched in June 2013 by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Linda Mama programme was designed to alleviate the financial burden on pregnant women, offering services based on need rather than the ability to pay. This initiative marked a significant step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya.
