Kenya’s plan to strengthen its blood transfusion system came into sharper focus at the National Assembly after Seme MP James Nyikal gave a detailed update on how the national network is operating under a “hub and spoke” structure.
He said the approach, which places six regional hubs at the centre of operations supported by 43 satellite centres, is aimed at keeping a steady supply of safe blood in all counties.
He explained that the Nairobi hub and the Kenyatta National Hospital satellite run throughout the day and night, but limited staffing continues to affect how far routine services can stretch. Even with this strain, Nyikal noted that the Ministry has kept services running while working on solutions that will help ease pressure.
Nyikal said the hubs have the full responsibility of finding donors, collecting units, and carrying out all tests, processing and storage, while the satellite centres mainly focus on donor mobilisation, collecting blood and forwarding samples to their respective regional centres.
He said this system is guided by the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service, which is expected to coordinate supply to all transfusing facilities.
He told MPs that behind the organised structure lies a shortage of technical workers that has made operations difficult. Out of the 275 approved staff positions, only 135 are on duty, which he said equals 49 percent of the required staffing.
He warned that this gap limits the ability of centres to extend routine work beyond the normal schedule, though the Ministry is doing everything possible to keep all points active.
Nyikal told the house that “all satellite blood bank centres, including the Kenyatta National Hospital satellite, operate on a 24-hour basis, including weekends and public holidays,” while the regional hubs “operate daily and respond to emergency call-out at night and other hours.” He said KNH faces the heaviest demand because of its specialised surgeries and critical care needs.
He further clarified that the Nairobi Regional Blood Transfusion Centre located at the Afya Annex compound is not the same as the KNH satellite, but the two continue working together to maintain a fast response and smooth transfusion support for patients.
To improve the situation, he said the Ministry has started posting staff gradually to increase capacity in the regional centres. He added that county administrations are also being engaged to back the work of the satellites.
At the same time, the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services has rolled out flexible work shifts and new workflows to support extended operations and emergency calls.
Nyikal told MPs that the Ministry has opened talks with the Public Service Commission on long-term staffing. He said, “We have engaged the Public Service Commission and have agreed to conduct a workload staffing assessment to pave way for engaging more staff. This is earmarked to be undertaken by December 2025.”
On the matter of platelet shortages, he assured the House that the Nairobi regional hub now has the needed equipment for high platelet preparation, noting that the centre has “newly installed automated equipment, in addition to an apheresis machine.” He added that weekend drives and after-hours donor campaigns are ongoing with the help of volunteers and partners to keep stocks stable.
Nyikal said the system of hubs, satellites, and transfusing hospitals forms “an integrated network that ensures the availability of safe and adequate blood transfusion across all levels.”
