Zain Verjee Puts Kenya Under The Spotlight On CNN

Kenya doesn’t the best reaction time whenever disasters hit and that’s just the truth. Well, let me just say that is my opinion but once again, let me remind you that everyone has a right to an opinion, MINE! but on this one, Zain Verjee sought out an expert on the matter. And he sat down with her for a candid interview.

 

 

Eight out of ten of all disaster responses in Kenya are attended by the Kenya Red Cross Society, and their General Secretary Abbas Gullet is usually one of the first to arrive and last to leave when one such disaster strikes.

This week on ‘African Voices’, Abbas Gullet, who has led the Kenya Red Cross Society since 2002, talks to CNN’s Zain Verjee about the organisation and the events that have inspired him to help people in need.

“Four years ago, Kenya started a Red Cross company called Emergency Medical Services.  We started with five ambulances that were state of the art in Nairobi, we were the largest private ambulance owners, just with five,” Gullet tells Verjee.

 

Today, the Kenya Red Cross has 53 ambulances and is not only the biggest in Kenya but also the entire Eastern and Central African region in offering ambulance services. “We have 75 more ambulances on the way, so by June 2014 we should be at 128 ambulances,” Gullet adds.

Gullet, who started volunteering at the Red Cross at the age of 14, lost his mother and father when he was just 5yrs old and was raised by adopted parents in Mombasa, Kenya. 

“I would like to see a well-functioning African Red Cross Red Crescent society that will always be the first one to respond to emergencies-first in and last out in their respective countries and where the citizens of these countries can rely on them,” says Gullet when asked about his aspirations. 

The interview on ‘African Voices’ airs on Friday April 4th at 09:30am with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 16:30pm, Sunday 04:30am, 10:00am & 19:30, Monday 11.30am & 16:30 and Tuesday at 06:30.

Tune in to CNN on DStv Channel 401.