by STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Thursday October 15, 2026
Daud Ahmed, Garissa County Kenya Red Cross Coordinator, and Garissa KWS warden Aden Jelle in a blood donation exercise. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Garissa leaders have urged residents to embrace voluntary blood donation to help hospitals maintain adequate supplies and save lives, particularly for women who experience complications during childbirth.
The call was made on Tuesday during a blood donation drive organised by the Kenya Red Cross Society’s Garissa branch in collaboration with the Garissa Regional Blood Transfusion Centre at Garissa Level 5 Teaching and Referral Hospital.
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The exercise attracted 34 donors, comprising 23 men and 11 women and yielded four pints of blood.
Among the donors were Garissa Senator Abdul Haji, hospital deputy chief executive Dr Bashey Ahmed, Ijara MCA Abdirahman Muktar and Waberi MCA Abubakar Sugow.
Speaking during the exercise, Haji said voluntary blood donation was a simple but powerful act that could save lives, particularly in a region where maternal health remains a major concern.
He cited postpartum haemorrhage, or excessive bleeding after childbirth, as a major cause of maternal deaths.
He noted that timely access to safe, compatible blood could determine whether a mother survived.
“When a mother loses a lot of blood, every minute matters. Access to safe, screened and compatible blood can make the difference between life and death,” he said.
Haji said leaders had a responsibility beyond policymaking and development projects.
He urged them to mobilise communities to embrace practices that protect lives.
“Our mothers should not have to depend on last-minute appeals to relatives or friends when they are fighting for their lives in delivery rooms,” he said.
Garissa County Kenya Red Cross coordinator Daud Ahmed urged young people, businesspeople, civil servants, religious institutions and other community groups to make blood donation part of their service to society.
He said mosques, churches, schools, colleges and workplaces could help mobilise donors and raise awareness about the importance of regular blood donation.
Dr Ahmed commended the donors and organisers, saying the initiative demonstrated that protecting lives was a collective responsibility.
He urged residents to turn the exercise into a sustained movement to improve maternal health and strengthen healthcare services in Garissa and the wider Northeastern region.