NAIROBI, Kenya July 5 – Kenya’s national blood supply is under increasing strain due to a sharp rise in chronic illnesses, road accidents, and injuries from public protests, health officials have warned.The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) says the country currently holds between 200,000 and 250,000 pints of blood, far below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended minimum of 520,000 pints, one per cent of the national population.NBTS Deputy Head Nick Kiptanui said the growing demand, driven by rising cancer cases, maternal emergencies, and trauma from accidents and demonstrations, has exposed the country’s inadequate blood reserves.“The demand for blood has gone up significantly, but our supply is still low, making it hard to meet hospital needs,” Kiptanui said during a blood donation drive at KICC organized by the Cooperative Alliance of Kenya (CAK) and NBTS.Nick Kiptanui from blood transfusionHe attributed the shortfall to cultural barriers and a lack of public goodwill, despite life-saving advances like blood component separation, which allows targeted treatment of patients such as mothers suffering postpartum hemorrhage.Principal Secretary for Cooperatives Patrick Kilemi said the government is now banking on Kenya’s vast cooperative movement to help boost donations. He said the upcoming Ushirika Day celebrations on Saturday present a key opportunity to mobilize nationwide blood drives.“Cooperatives will play a major role in helping us meet this critical health need. We urge Kenyans to come out in large numbers,” said Kilemi.Cooperative PS Patrick KilemiCAK CEO Daniel Marube added that they are working with NBTS to engage cooperative members across the country in sustained donation efforts.Kenya continues to grapple with under-collection of blood despite increasing demand, especially during national emergencies.