President William Ruto has struck a reconciliatory note by defending former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Linda Mama programme, even as Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale took a more critical stance.
Speaking during the launch of Umma University in Kajiado County on Tuesday, Ruto acknowledged that his administration had borrowed significantly from the Linda Mama initiative to design its successor, Linda Jamii. He credited the earlier programme with shaping policies that now extend to prenatal, natal, and postnatal healthcare for expectant mothers.
“Maybe let me use this occasion to defend my former boss, the former President. We should be a bit more magnanimous toward him. The Linda Mama programme was a great programme that we developed under the leadership of President Uhuru, and we learnt a lot from it,” Ruto said.
He further explained that lessons from Linda Mama paved the way for the Linda Jamii initiative and, eventually, the broader Universal Health Coverage plan his government is rolling out.
However, Health CS Aden Duale adopted a contrasting tone. Without mentioning Uhuru by name, he accused the former regime of presiding over a struggling health system that failed to deliver sustainable reforms.
“If you think Linda Mama was a big thing, how come it has not reduced the maternal mortality rate in our country?” Duale questioned.
Meanwhile, at the Jubilee Party’s Special National Delegates Conference in Nairobi, Uhuru defended his record. He praised Linda Mama as a cornerstone of his administration’s social programmes and accused the Kenya Kwanza government of abandoning tried and tested policies in favor of unproven projects.
Uhuru also urged the government to focus on improving citizens’ welfare rather than attacking them.
The contrasting remarks highlight the ongoing debate over Kenya’s health reforms, as the current administration seeks to balance continuity with innovation.
