Machakos County Assembly in collaboration with the Stoni Athi Rotary Club and the Kenya Tissue Transplant Authority (KTTA), has organised a three-day blood drive campaign to replenish blood banks in hospitals across the county.

The blood drive campaign done at the County Assembly saw leaders, the County Assembly staff and the public donate blood for patients in need of blood.

While speaking to the media at the County Assembly premises during the blood drive, Dr. Steven Adudansi, a medical practitioner and president of the Rotary Club in Stoni Athi said the exercise aims to sensitise people on the importance of donating blood.

‘We should keep on sensitising people to donate blood so as to save as many lives as possible,’ said Adudansi.

Dr. Adudansi noted that in every 10 minutes, seven people in Kenya require blood. Adding that one pint, which measures about 450 ml, can be used to save up to 4 people.

He disclosed that the majority of the blood donated is used in hospitals for accident patients and mother
s who lose blood during childbirth.

‘Kenyans need blood and the majority are women who are giving birth since most of them die in the process of bringing life to the world,’ said Dr Adudansi.

He assured residents that the donated blood is collected and safeguarded by KTTA and is given for free in health facilities.

Dr Adudansi highlighted that the blood drive is done annually and so far 722 pints of blood have been donated against a target of 700 pints, which is enough to save 2800 lives.

He said the campaign started on February 11 and has been carried out in Mavuno Church, KAPPA oil refinery on Mombasa Road, Daystar University Athi River, KAG University and UMMA universities in Kajiado.

On his part, Machakos Member of County Assembly Nzioka Wangondi urged more leaders to donate blood to enable the hospitals in Machakos to have adequate blood in case of emergencies.

Wangondi added that most hospitals in Kenya require blood and it becomes a problem when a major need arises such as transfusion.

The MCA h
ailed the Stoni Athi Rotary club for their efforts in trying to save lives and urged them to incorporate more residents in the campaign.

Source: Kenya News Agency

WINDHOEK: Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni and Calgrokuumba Planning and Design, a construction company, have dragged the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters activist Michael Amushelelo to court, to stop the planned occupation of houses in Windhoek’s Otjomuise residential area on 29 February.

The urgent interdict seeks to prevent Amushelelo and any other ‘unauthorised’ persons from unlawfully gaining access to the houses or erecting any structure on the property. Andries Olivier the Chief Executive Officer of Calgrokuumba Planning and Design, in his affidavit said that the property in question is a mixture of developed and undeveloped erven, all of which are fenced off.

According to him, all the erven are lawfully occupied although only a few contain completed houses fit for occupation and as such are already inhabited by people.

‘There are several erven of phase b that are privately owned and do not form part of the mass housing development programme,’ Olivier said.

He further stress
ed that his company is in lawful possession and control of the property, as agreed upon with the National Housing Enterprise in 2014. The agreement, he said, was that they would build 1 187 houses at Otjomuise’s Extension 10 on behalf of the government.

‘The 362 houses, which the respondents are targeting for unlawful occupation, are incomplete and unfit for human occupation because services for sewerage, water and electricity still need to be installed,’ he added.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of approximately 20 people gathered at the Windhoek High Court to file their notice to defend the interdict. Amushelelo, who is leading the group, told Nampa that over 6 000 people have registered to occupy the said houses on 29 February 2024. He said that the group will represent themselves.

‘We are all laymen, unfortunately we have not secured the services of a lawyer that is why we are filing our notices by ourselves to defend our rights for proper housing. There is nothing in law that prevents us from occupying
those houses,’ Amushelelo told this agency.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency