President William Ruto has announced expanded free maternal healthcare under Kenya’s Social Health Authority (SHA). The new Linda Jamii initiative is designed to fully cover the cost of pregnancy care, childbirth, antenatal services, and postnatal care.

Speaking at State House in Nairobi during a meeting with Nairobi County artisans, the President said the Linda Jamii initiative has been introduced to replace the previous Linda Mama maternal healthcare programme.

“To all the mothers, once you get pregnant, the government will cater for all the expenses until you give birth,” President Ruto said.

The President also announced that the government has tripled funding for the maternal healthcare package from KSh4,000, a move aimed at improving access to quality healthcare for expectant mothers across Kenya.

Following ongoing healthcare reforms, the new Linda Jamii initiative expands on the previous Linda Mama programme by providing broader support for mothers throughout pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood.

Under the programme, the healthcare package covers antenatal care, normal deliveries and Caesarean sections, treatment of pregnancy-related complications, obstetric emergencies, postnatal care, and newborn immunisations.

The expanded maternal healthcare package marks an important step in improving access to healthcare services for expectant mothers and newborns across the country.

Unlike the previous Linda Mama programme, which mainly focused on maternity costs, the Linda Jamii initiative also gives eligible families access to other healthcare funding programmes under the Social Health Authority. These include the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the Primary Health Care Fund (PHC), and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF).