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Mary Muthoni, the Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards in the Ministry of Health, has announced that the Linda Mama maternal healthcare program has been integrated into the Social Health Authority (SHA) and now provides a broader range of services.
On December 9, 2024, Muthoni shared a message on X, urging mothers to register for SHA, emphasizing that they would continue to benefit from the Linda Mama program, which has now been enhanced and included in the new health coverage.
“Linda Mama is still part of SHA and has been significantly improved. It now covers prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care. Let’s register for SHA using *147#,” Muthoni wrote.
Speaking at the African Inland Church (AIC) Pioneer in Eldoret on Sunday, the Public Health PS highlighted the importance of ongoing SHA registration, urging the community to adopt the Taifa Care and emphasizing its role in ensuring affordable and quality healthcare for all Kenyans.
“We previously had a program called Linda Mama. This program helped mothers, and Linda Mama is still part of SHA, but we have significantly improved it,” she explained.
Muthoni clarified that, unlike before when Linda Mama only supported women during delivery, the revamped program now offers comprehensive coverage, including prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care.
The Social Health Authority (SHA) was introduced on September 1, 2024, replacing the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
There were initial concerns that Linda Mama might be discontinued with the introduction of SHA. However, in August, ahead of SHA’s rollout, Muthoni assured the public that the government had allocated Ksh2 billion to enhance the Linda Mama program.
“I want to confirm that it is coming back bigger and better. We are a government that listens, and we engage in public participation. When people tell us what they want, we incorporate it,” Muthoni stated on August 6, 2024.
“It will be the Social Health Authority that decides how funds are allocated between Linda Mama and the Social Health Insurance Fund. NHIF will remain in place until the Social Health Insurance Fund rolls out,” she added.
Launched in 2016, Linda Mama is a government initiative designed to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services to pregnant women, newborns, and children under five. It is a key component of the government’s broader goal to improve maternal and child health and ensure that no woman or child is denied care due to financial barriers.
Initially funded through NHIF, Linda Mama provided free or heavily subsidized services at both public and accredited private health facilities. It plays an essential role in the government’s efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by making healthcare services more accessible and equitable, especially for vulnerable groups.
