By Emily Kiende
President William Ruto has articulated key improvements in both scope and impact to the Linda Mama program, which was transitioned to Linda Jamii, expanding its reach from maternal delivery services to a broader package that supports both mothers and households.
Speaking during the groundbreaking of Umma University’s School of Engineering in Kajiado County, President Ruto said the revamped initiative now covers prenatal and postnatal care, ensuring healthier outcomes for families as a whole
“Linda mama was good, but Linda Jamii is better,an improvement to fix Linda Mama’s limitations, while driving Kenya towards universal coverage,” President Ruto said.The Head of State further said the new program has been built on the valuable lessons learned from the Linda Mama program, reflecting the government’s continued commitment to improving access to quality healthcare for all.
The president challenged Kenyans, policymakers and leaders to raise their standards and ambitions to begin engaging with the transformational, innovative and extraordinary Linda Jamii.
President Ruto’s remarks were seemingly a direct response to Uhuru Kenyatta, who had accused his successor of reversing the gains made by Linda Mama.
Speaking during the Jubilee Party NDC, Uhuru trashed Linda Jamii program, terming it untried and untested.
Ruto on supporting institutions of higher learning
Further in his speech, President Ruto congratulated Umma University for the milestone and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting institutions of higher learning to ensure every young Kenyan has the chance to achieve their full potential.
"This university is a symbol of ambition, resilience and a deep commitment to nurturing future generations," he said.
Highlighting the growth of tertiary education in Kenya, Ruto noted that Kenya now boasts 80 chartered universities, 30 of them private, with about 23% of the student population pursuing their courses in private universities. He noted that this shows the critical role private universities still play in complementing government’s expansion of access to education.
"We are allocating more resources to making education affordable, accessible, and of high quality," he said.Ruto also pointed out the position of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions, which he noted are central to the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
TVETs, he noted, are key in respect to producing moral, innovative, and skilled graduates who are ready to create jobs and provide solutions to the issues of the day.
The President also noted that the government has been compelled to undertake bold steps in order to safeguard the sustainability of our universities and higher education.
In attendance was Julius Ogamba, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Dr. Halima Saado, Vice Chancellor Umma University, Dr. Abbas Gullet, Chancellor Umma University, among other dignitaries.
Reviewed by Jack M
