Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has hit back at retired President Uhuru Kenyatta over criticism of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s health programmes, insisting that facts must guide public debate.
Speaking during an empowerment event in Dadaab, Garissa County, on Saturday, Kindiki defended the government’s decision to restructure the Linda Mama initiative into the broader Social Health Authority (SHA) programme. He explained that the scheme had expanded its coverage to benefit not just mothers, but all Kenyans.
“Linda Mama ilikuwa inashughulika na akina mama wajawazito pekee. Sasa tumeipanua kupitia SHA na inalinda wamama, wazee, vijana na watoto. Tunaita Linda Jamii kwa sababu inalinda kila mmoja, sio mama pekee,” Kindiki said.
His remarks were a direct response to Uhuru’s statements during the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference (NDC) in Nairobi on Friday. The former head of state had expressed concern that government changes were eroding past social gains, describing new schemes as “untested experiments” that leave Kenyans vulnerable.
“Today, many of the gains we had in the past have been eroded. Linda Mama and others were replaced by new, untried, untested schemes. And while we wait for these experiments to work, Kenyans suffer and our progress is retarded,” Uhuru told delegates.
Kindiki, however, dismissed the claims, arguing that the current administration had not abandoned previous initiatives but strengthened them. He cited key reforms aimed at easing the cost of living, pointing to reduced fertiliser prices and the stabilisation of the Kenyan shilling as proof of progress.
“Rais Ruto alikuta mbolea ikiwa inauzwa Sh6,500, leo imeshuka hadi Sh2,500. Vile vile, shilingi ya Kenya ilikuwa imeanguka, dola moja ilikuwa Sh165. Leo imeshuka hadi Sh129. Hizo ndizo ukweli ambazo wananchi wanapaswa kujua,” he said.
The sharp exchange highlights the growing political tension between the Kenya Kwanza government and Uhuru’s Jubilee faction, with health programmes emerging as a key battleground in the debate over continuity and reform.
