Mr. Abbas Gullet, Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross Society named UN in Kenya Person of the Year

Nairobi, 22 October – The United Nations in Kenya, on the occasion of UN Day on 24 October, has decided to award the 2007 "UN in Kenya Person of the Year" to Mr. Abbas Gullet, Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross Society.

Speaking for the UN agencies based in the country, the United Nations Resident Coordinator Elizabeth Lwanga said: "Today the United Nations family in Kenya recognizes Abbas Gullet for his important contributions in making the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) the first place the Government of Kenya and locally based humanitarian organizations look to for leadership in times of national emergencies. 

Ms. Lwanga added that “it is also our judgment that Mr. Gullet’s many years of professional and personal sacrifice exhibits a character of extraordinary accomplishment, integrity and courage – and one determined to relieve human suffering and misery in his country. 

Abbas Gullet’s timely interventions and leadership has made the KRCS the leading National humanitarian organization in the country, recognized across the world as one of the best performing National Red Cross Societies, and an example of what local relief groups can achieve. 

Under his leadership, the KRCS has experienced phenomenal growth.  With regional warehouses around the country, offices linked by radio, telephone and Internet, the KRCS today has the capacity to handle 120,000 people in situations requiring humanitarian intervention.  Its annual budget has grown from Ksh338 million in 2005 to Ksh1.4 billion in 2006.  Its asset value has grown by an exponential 400 per cent after the construction of a multi-million shilling complex consisting of a four-star hotel with health club and conference facilities as well as an office block

After taking a leave of absence from the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) in Geneva, Mr. Gullet took the helms of the organization for the first time in 2001.  He came to an institution that had lost its compass in the field of emergency relief.  Within 9 months, he had fixed the management and financial problems and finalized a 5 year HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan.  By the time he returned to Geneva, Mr. Gullet had revived donor confidence, programmes were well funded, a professional staff was in place and the KRC had Kshs.15million in the kitty.

Despite being the first African to rise to be Deputy Secretary-General of IFRC, Mr. Gullet resigned his position and returned to Kenya in 2004 where he was promptly elected Treasurer of the Kenya Red Cross Society.  His sights were on more than just Kenya.  With like-minded colleagues, Mr. Gullet began to organize African Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to be responsible for their own development.  The vehicle that they used to institute change was the New Partnership for Africa Red Cross Societies (NEPARC), of which he was the founding director.

In each of their countries, Mr. Gullet and his colleagues adopted third party audits to enable them to know what impact they were having on the ground; worked to raise resources locally; and put in place mechanisms to ensure transparency, ethics and integrity were a part of every decision-making. 

The following year, Mr. Gullet was asked to return to the Secretary-General’s post at the Kenya Red Cross Society. 

After he was notified of the award by the UN, Mr. Gullet said: “I am indeed honoured to be selected for this auspicious commendation on behalf of thousands of dedicated and selfless volunteers who have given their lives to serve humanity.”  He added that the award was “a reflection of years of alleviating human suffering among millions of Kenyans”.

Abbas Gullet will be honoured at a special ceremony at 11:00 AM, on Wednesday 24 October at the United Nations Complex, Gigiri.

This is the sixth time the UN Family in Kenya has collectively honoured an individual as part of its celebrations of UN Day, which is held every year on 24 October.  “The United Nations in Kenya Person of the Year” is chosen based on their personal commitment towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This year's runner-up is Josephine Mumo Nzioka, the driving force behind the Stara Rescue Centre and School in Nairobi’s sprawling Kibera slum.  Together with three like-minded friends in a women’s group, she contributed 100 shillings a week of her hard-earned money to care for the six orphaned children. News of the Stara Group’s helping hand for the orphans spread in Kibera, and soon there were 45 children asking for food.

In 2000, faced with these growing needs, Josephine secured some funding and put up a simple wood and iron building.  Thus was born a rescue centre for orphaned and vulnerable children; aiming to provide them with food and education as well as life skills and counseling.  By 2004, the Stara Centre was catering for 220 children.

The numbers of children grew dramatically to 530 in no small part due to the Stara Centre joining the UN World Food Programme’s school feeding programme

In noting the Award’s relevance to the MDGs, Ms. Lwanga said that the UN was also paying tribute to “the many men and women who work tirelessly in their various fields towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the country. We need role models such as Mr. Gullet to help us focus on why achieving the MDGs is so important: it is because it will mean improvements in the daily lives of millions on Kenyans and people around the globe.

The MDGs are a set of achievable development targets, which all Member States of the United Nations have pledged to meet by 2015. One of the eight goals is to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. Last year, the UN in Kenya honoured women's rights campaigner and activist Hon. Njoki Ndungu as the 2006 "UN in Kenya Person of the Year".