President William Ruto sparked a light moment after asking Kenyan men not to pressure their partners into having children in quick succession simply because the government is paying for maternity services under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking while hosting Nairobi County artisans at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, Ruto said the expanded maternity programme was designed to improve access to quality healthcare for mothers and newborns, not to encourage families to have more children than they had planned.
The President asked men to allow women to make their own decisions on family planning, saying free maternity services should not be misused.
“Now let me ask you something else. I have said that the government will pay for mothers to give birth. But that does not mean it is now your responsibility to make sure they are giving birth every day,” Ruto said.
Addressing men directly, he added:
“I am speaking to my fellow men. I am telling my fellow men, do not trouble our women. Don’t tell your wife, ‘Since it is free, let’s just keep having children.’ Let women also have their own plans.”
Ruto Warns Men Against Back-to-Back Pregnancies
His remarks sparked laughter from the audience as he turned to women in attendance and jokingly asked whether men should “slow down.”
The President made the comments while encouraging Kenyans to register with SHA, saying the government was committed to ensuring every citizen can access healthcare without being turned away because of lack of money.
Ruto said the government had expanded the former Linda Mama programme into Linda Jamii, under which expectant mothers registered with SHA receive comprehensive maternal healthcare.
“I also said that what we previously called Linda Mama is now Linda Jamii. Every expectant mother only needs to register with SHA. The Government of Kenya will pay for you to receive antenatal care and to deliver your baby at a health facility. After the baby is born, we will continue taking care of the child, the mother and the family. We have set aside enough money for this programme.”
He said the government had increased funding for maternity services to improve the quality of care offered to mothers and newborns.
“Previously, when a woman went to hospital to give birth, the budget allocated was KSh4,000. Today, we have increased that amount threefold to ensure that every mother can give birth in a clean facility with qualified doctors, adequate medicine and proper care, so that we do not lose mothers and we also do not lose our children.”
Ruto Says 2.85 Million Nairobi Residents Have Registered for SHA
The President also used the event to encourage more Kenyans to enroll in SHA, saying registration is key to improving planning and service delivery across the health sector.
According to Ruto, 2.85 million Nairobi residents have so far registered with SHA, while the government has paid KSh32 billion to hospitals in the capital over the past one and a half years to facilitate treatment.
He said the registration data enables the government to determine where more doctors, medicines and medical equipment are needed.
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“I want to ask my brothers and sisters in Nairobi not to miss the opportunity to register with SHA because we will ensure there is enough medicine, enough doctors and enough medical equipment. When you register, we are able to get accurate statistics so that we can properly plan healthcare services for all the citizens of our country.”
Ruto said the Constitution requires the government to provide healthcare to every Kenyan, regardless of their financial status or employment.
“The Constitution of Kenya instructs and requires the government to ensure that healthcare is available to all Kenyans, regardless of where they come from, whether they have money or not, whether they have a job or not, whether they have a payslip or not. Every Kenyan should have the opportunity to receive medical treatment.”
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