The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has dismissed former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s claims that his government’s Linda Mama programme offered better maternal healthcare than the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Linda Jamii scheme.
In a statement, UDA argued that Uhuru’s assertions were not based on facts and amounted to misleading comparisons.
The ruling party maintained that the new programme under President William Ruto delivers far more comprehensive and effective care than its predecessor.
“Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s claims that a maternal programme under his administration was better than what replaced it under President William Ruto are not borne by facts,” UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar stated.
“It was a fatal attempt at throwing some wind into the sail of what is becoming abundantly clear every passing day: His administration had made peace with mediocrity and below average.”
According to UDA, Linda Mama only covered the mother during delivery, leaving out critical needs for the newborn and the rest of the family.
Yet, Linda Jamii caters to the entire household, including the mother, baby, spouse, and children.
The party also highlighted several areas where Linda Jamii offers broader coverage including ante-natal, delivery, and post-natal services, as well as complications for both mother and baby.
Omar said Linda Mama did not pay for a single complication, while Linda Jamii extends to intensive care and high dependency units for both mothers and newborns.
The new programme also pays significantly higher hospital rates, reflecting the true cost of healthcare. For example, UDA said normal delivery under Linda Jamii is reimbursed at Sh10,000, double what Linda Mama offered. In Level 6 hospitals, the rate rises to Sh30,000.
For Caesarean sections, Linda Jamii covers Sh34,200 plus a three-day hospital stay, nearly twice the Sh17,500 offered under the previous scheme.
UDA insisted that these improvements show a clear shift in government commitment to quality maternal care.
“Linda Jamii provides comprehensive household maternity care that goes far beyond Linda Mama’s limited coverage,” the statement read.
The party urged Kenyans to disregard Uhuru’s criticism, saying evidence on the ground demonstrates that Linda Jamii is superior in scope, inclusivity, and financial support.
The response come after Uhuru, during his speech at the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference (NDC) in Nairobi on Friday, September 26, 2025, expressed dissatisfaction with the new schemes that replaced those he said had been beneficial to many Kenyans.
“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 said.
Omar also addressed Uhuru’s record on infrastructure, noting unfinished projects and pending payments.
“When he left office, the government had Sh1.1 trillion in pending road bills covering 1,300km. Sh700 billion of this was tied to tenders, while the remainder involved stalled road projects,” he said.
He explained that the Kenya Kwanza government has introduced new, sustainable approaches to road construction without relying heavily on borrowing, including utilising part of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund.