Mombasa nurse Khadija Juma honoured on world stage for revolutionizing blood donation » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya May 28 – Kenyan nurse Khadija Mohamed Juma received a heroic welcome after she emerged runners-up in the prestigious Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025 held in Dubai on Monday.

Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, an Oncology Nurse Specialist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital won the prestigious Award which also earned her a cash prize of $250,000.

Oti and Khadija were selected from over 100,000 nominations submitted from 199 countries and emerged among the top 10 global finalists.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswammad Sharrif Nassir applauded Khadija as a proud moment for African healthcare on the international stage.

“Her journey is a testament to the power of community-rooted healthcare, resilience, and compassion, Khadija remains our undisputed champion. You’ve made Mombasa, Kenya, and Africa proud. Hongera sana,” Governor Nassir said via social media message.

Twenty-nine-year-old Khadija is a nurse at Tudor Sub-county Hospital in Mombasa and the founder of RedSplash, an initiative that is revolutionizing blood donation in Kenya through a Smart Donor Search algorithm that connects donors to patients in real time.

She has led over 500 donation drives, collected more than 25,000 units of blood, and helped save an estimated 75,000 lives.

Her work began as a personal mission following the tragic death of a friend’s mother due to delayed transfusions.In response, Khadija founded RedSplash—mobilizing schools, mosques, and communities while breaking myths and promoting voluntary donation.

Her model, dubbed “Deliver blood faster than pizza,” challenges the black-market system and aims to build Kenya’s first RedSplash Blood Bank and mobile units in the near future.