Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has disclosed that the Linda Mama program inherited from the previous administration left a Ksh 5.6 billion debt.
Speaking in Kajiado County on Tuesday, September 30, Duale said the Kenya Kwanza administration was confronted with major financial and operational hurdles upon assuming office.
“When we came into office, we were confronted with a fictitious NHIF debt amounting to Ksh 30 billion. Shockingly, Ksh 5.6 billion of this was linked to the Linda Mama programme,” he revealed.
The CS described the debt as more than just a financial burden, portraying it as evidence of systemic failures in the country’s health management.
“This was not just a matter of numbers. It reflected years of weak oversight, inefficiency, and mismanagement that compromised the quality of care delivered to mothers and their children,” he stated.
Duale said the government has since introduced reforms under the Social Health Authority (SHA) to address loopholes in the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“That is why, under the Social Health Authority, the Government has embarked on far-reaching reforms to rebuild trust and restore integrity in our health sector. We are tightening accountability systems, sealing financial loopholes, and ensuring that every shilling invested in health translates into quality care for our people,” he explained.
He also faulted the reimbursement structure of the former Linda Mama program, arguing that it eroded service quality.
“Under the defunct NHIF, the Linda Mama programme offered a reimbursement as low as Ksh 2,500, with little regard for the quality of care. During that period, Kenya witnessed a worrying rise in maternal mortality rates as expectant mothers struggled to access comprehensive services,” Duale said.
The CS contrasted this with the new Taifa Care initiative, which he said places the dignity and well-being of mothers and children at the center.
“With the introduction of Taifa Care, we have shifted the focus to the dignity and well-being of every mother and child. The programme guarantees quality prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care, ensuring that mothers are supported at every stage of their journey,” he added.
His remarks come amid ongoing debate on healthcare reforms by the Kenya Kwanza administration, which have drawn criticism from former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Earlier on Tuesday, President William Ruto defended his predecessor while clarifying the transition from Linda Mama to Linda Jamii.
“To defend him, we should be a bit magnanimous to him. He did time, led our country. And the Linda Mama program was great,” Ruto said.
The President described Linda Jamii as an improvement of the original initiative, with wider coverage extending beyond delivery to prenatal and postnatal care for households.
“We developed it under the Jubilee administration, under the leadership of President Uhuru. We learned a lot from the Linda Mama program,” he explained.
His comments indirectly responded to Uhuru’s criticism during the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference on Friday, September 26.
“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,” the former President said.
