The Kenya Red Cross Society was put on a spot after the humanitarian agency chose to evacuate MPs from the National Assembly on June 25 instead of rescuing protesters shot by police. 

The protesters managed to enter the National Assembly, where lawmakers were debating the Finance Bill, 2024, which had sparked outrage. 

This forces MPs to flee for their lives through the recently constructed tunnel that connects to the Bunge Towers. Security officers fired live bullets, killing some protesters and injuring others. 

Some legislators were driven to safety in Red Cross ambulances.

Amid accusations of ignoring the injured, the organisation defended itself.

“Our vehicles have been attacked. Staff and volunteers were injured. We have no contact or role in transporting persons other than the injured. The rumours must stop,” Red Cross said in a tweet. 

“It is quite unfair that we are being accused of whisking Members of Parliament while our staff and volunteers put their lives in danger to provide critical medical care to those in need.” 

The organisation went ahead and urged the government to provide its staff with enough security. “We can’t provide life-saving interventions without access and safety for our staff and volunteers. It is crucial that we are granted access to continue our humanitarian efforts without hindrance.” 

Recent “Blood Parliament” documentary by BBC also showed how some legislators were driven to safety in ambulances, fueling more anger. 

“Ambulances that were supposed to be saving lives were ferrying MPs away while Kenyan bodies were lying there desperate. As a Kenya patriotic, we’ll never forget!! Thank you BBC,” posted @MissPurple-z3f on the story’s YouTube link. 

Reached for comments, KRCS communications team said the agency was not willing to comment on the issue due to its sensitivity. 

But St John’s Ambulance Chief Executive Officer Fred Majiwa defended Red Cross. 

“I think it’s probably a lack of knowing how our operations go that sometimes creates misunderstanding. Because organisations like ours are not discriminative, we provide service to everyone, be it a protester, police, parliamentarians, a terrorist or be it a civilian. We provide service to all without discrimination,” he said.  

He added: “So you find for instance in the previous incident, we provided service to everyone. We evacuated so many people to hospitals. This was inclusive of protesters, it was inclusive of police officers who were injured, Members of Parliament and even in the process while evacuating some protesters from Jamia Mosque, they even vandalised one of our ambulances and we just took it as part of the risks that we go through, repaired the car and continued with the service.” 

He said there are instances where you find one side is asking them not to evacuate this category of people, for instance parliamentarians but they don’t discriminate, they evacuate everyone. 

“And there are instances where you find people questioning why for instance we carried somebody in an ambulance and yet he is not injured or things like that,” he said. 

Majiwa said this happens at times when you find a person in danger, you do not leave them to get injured then you come back to evacuate them. 

“When they are in danger, you carry them alongside the injured people that you carry. If somebody seeks refuge in an ambulance that is carrying a patient, you can’t tell them to go out and get injured first, then we will come back and evacuate you. We just carry you alongside the patient, because that will ensure that you are safe altogether,” he said. 

He said this has happened before in the past, when they carry a patient, those who escape some get inside the vehicle and they have to carry them along with the patient until they are somewhere where they are safe. 

“We can’t accept to be encouraged to leave somebody in danger, that he is not injured, that we have to go in time to get the injured, then we come back and evacuate. We offer service to everyone. And that’s where we are,” he said. 

Majiwa added the police cannot tell them not to carry protesters, neither do they accept the call from protesters to tell them not to carry the police because they are antagonistic in the process of this protest. 

“We cannot accept a call where we are not told of any parliamentarians or anything like that. We just offer our service to everyone, because that is our goal, and that is what we are committed to.”