From “leaking bucket” to role model

Five years ago Kenya Red Cross was portrayed as a “leaking bucket” with mounting deficits, mismanagement and donors pulling out. This had serious effects on the respect and trust of the organisation inside and outside the movement. Not to mention the consequences on effectively reaching the vulnerable people in Kenya. After Abbas Gullet entered the management as treasurer and later Secretary General, he has taken a 360 degrees turn and made it one of the best managed and well respected National Societies in Africa. “It was about leadership and professionalism. Our core guiding values then and today are good governance, accountability and transparency. In this way we build confidence and trust from the community, but also donors”, says Abbas.

Unorthodox leader

Mr. Abbas Gullet, the Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross has gone from being a volunteer, youth department leader, head of various delegations under the Federation to this year being selected to manage Kenya Red Cross. 30 years of experience would qualify him to be truly passionate about this organisation. -It is rare for a Kenyan leader to come to work before his employees and leave after they have left, says Moses Kesekwa, National Youth Officer. His dedication was once again proven when he recently came back from fieldwork in Marsabit, an area with tribal clashes. Coming directly from the field he walked into his office with the same outfit and continued his duties as Secretary General. -Any normal leader would at least have gone home, showered and changed clothes and maybe even taken a few days of leave. It just shows what an unusually efficiency- conscious leader he is, says Juma Hemedi, former youth delegate.   

Being a magician

Humanitarian work is a competitive business. -There are many NGOs which compete for the resources of the North so Red Cross has to always be two steps ahead of the game, says the General Secretary. Kenya Red Cross has always lacked resources and is therefore fully dependent on donors. Unlike the Red Cross in most Western countries, the Kenyan government does not give a single shilling to support the work of Kenya Red Cross. -You need to be a magician to be able to juggle the little that we have. In reaching our goal to be the lead humanitarian organisation in Kenya we have good and sustainable programmes and are credible by providing good accounts, says Abbas. His dream is that Kenya Red Cross one day will be able to pay its basic core- costs, that is, the administrative costs. One step in realising the dream is a current income generating project of expanding the headquarters with a disaster centre, hotel and leasing of office space. -Charity begins at home. Societies themselves have to take responsibility, holds the Secretary.

The way forward

Abbas wants Kenya Red Cross to be a lead example on self-sufficiency for other Red Cross Societies in Africa. He has therefore initiated a Network for African Red Cross National Societies (NEPAC). -It is a capacity building network which aims to enable National Societies to take more responsibility of their own and to provide better services to their population, says the leading figure of the network. When being asked on the question of the role of youth in the way forward Abbas said -in all honesty, we need to do much more. In all our programmes, be it disaster, first aid, blood donation, HIV/ AIDS it is the youth who are carrying them out. By speaking to the young volunteers they are not happy with having only one representative at the headquarters and the youth department is allocated the least money. -For this organisation to really prosper the youth have to be empowered, says Peter Mwayonga in Thika branch. Having been the youth officer and a youth volunteer himself, Abbas Gullet should be able to make Kenya Red Cross a role model on the issue of youth as well.