People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has used Mother’s Day to call for the revival of the Linda Mama programme, saying Kenya must return to a system where women have access to safe and free maternity care in public hospitals.

In a post on her X account on Sunday, May 10, 2026, Karua said she spent the day at AIPCA Kathangariri Manyataa in Embu, where she joined worshippers in marking the occasion and reflected on the state of maternal healthcare in the country.

“On Mother’s Day, I joined the congregation at AIPCA Kathangariri Manyataa in Embu,” she wrote. “I reflected on the greatest gift we can give every Kenyan mother is a health system that works when they need it.”

Karua said maternal health remains one of the most important public services the government must protect. She pointed to the Linda Mama programme as an example of a policy that worked for ordinary women.

“Programmes like Linda Mama, which strived to ensure every woman could walk into a public hospital and deliver her baby with dignity and without cost, are the standard we must return to,” she said.

The Linda Mama programme was introduced in 2016 under the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). It offered free maternity services in accredited public, private, and faith-based hospitals. The programme covered antenatal visits, delivery, postnatal care, and early newborn services.

Health experts say the programme helped reduce financial pressure on expectant mothers and increased hospital deliveries, especially in rural areas. However, it was later phased out and replaced by new health financing models under ongoing reforms.

Linda Mama debate

The government later introduced new arrangements under the Social Health Authority (SHA), including expanded packages covering both mothers and households and higher compensation rates for deliveries and complications. Supporters say the new system broadens coverage beyond maternity alone.

But debate continues over whether the new model delivers the same level of access and simplicity that Linda Mama offered.

The fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta, previously defended the original programme, saying it reached millions of women and reduced barriers to maternal care. He warned that replacing it with untested systems risked slowing progress in healthcare access.

In contrast, government officials have argued that the current reforms improve coverage and include more medical services such as ICU care, high-dependency units, and newborn emergency support.

Karua, however, focused her message on dignity and affordability for mothers.

“As a mother, I know that no woman should face that moment alone, in debt, or on a broken road,” she said.

She added that her vision for government would prioritise maternal healthcare and ensure hospitals are properly equipped and accessible.

“That is a commitment a Karua government will strive to honour,” she said.

Her remarks come at a time when healthcare reform remains a key political debate, with leaders divided over the effectiveness of the current system and the legacy of earlier programmes like Linda Mama.

Karua questions project delivery

Karua also used a visit to Tharaka Nithi County on Saturday, May 9, 2026, to question the government’s delivery on key development projects. She pointed to delays in the Ksh7 billion Nithi Bridge project, saying repeated announcements had not translated into real work on the ground.

“Wenye nchi, do not eat launch ceremonies. They deserve roads that are safe, hospitals that heal,” she said, adding that leadership should be judged by results, not promises.

She also criticised the state of public services, arguing that Kenyans continue to pay deductions while hospitals remain under-resourced.