Samburu County Hosts World Blood Donor Day Celebrations as CS Duale Launches Major Health Reforms

𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐮 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Samburu County marked the World Blood Donor Day national celebrations with the collection of 500 units of blood, advancing toward its target of 1,000 units.

Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale presided over the event, where he officially launched the Samburu Blood Satellite Centre and the county’s Digital Health System—key milestones aimed at accelerating the rollout of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

The celebrations also saw 100 residents register with the Social Health Authority (SHA), increasing county coverage from 14% to 17.5%. In recognition of community-level efforts, the Ministry acknowledged 1,600 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) operating through 147 CHP Units for their critical role in delivering essential health services, improving health outcomes, and strengthening household-level disease surveillance and referrals.

Hon. Duale urged CHPs to actively promote SHA and SHIF registration, emphasizing their vital role in ensuring every Kenyan, regardless of age or income, can access quality healthcare.

On health sector reforms, the CS reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening regulation through the ongoing rollout of the Digital Health System. He highlighted intensified efforts to crack down on unqualified health practitioners and shut down non-compliant facilities to safeguard the integrity of the health system.

Further, the CS announced the introduction of a national track-and-trace system to monitor the movement of medicines from manufacturer to patient—boosting transparency and accountability across the supply chain. He confirmed that over 74,000 digital devices will be distributed to public health facilities nationwide to support more efficient, data-driven service delivery.

The day concluded with the recognition of institutions that have played a key role in blood donation and mobilization, including the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Kenya Red Cross, the Pumwani Maternity Hospital team, and the people of Samburu County.

The Cabinet Secretary also called on parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated, following the recent arrival of BCG and Oral Polio Vaccines.

Present at the event were Samburu County Governor H.E. Jonathan Lelelit, Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr. Ouma Oluga, Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, Head of Kenya Tissue and Transplant Services Dr. Martin Sirengo, Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, and Acting CEO of the Digital Health Agency Eng. Anthony Lenaiyara, alongside other national and county leaders.