What you need to know before you donate blood

Alpha Kennedy Sanya, the highest blood donor in Kenya donates blood at the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS) in Nakuru. He has donated 104 times. [File, Standard]

According to Gladys Omwenga, a Medical Laboratory Technologist at Mama Lucy Hospital Blood Donation Centre, some basic requirements are considered before a blood donation.

"A person can donate blood if they are 16 years to 65 with a minimum weight of 50 kilogrammes and a maximum weight of 120 kilogrammes but we do not encourage one to donate for the first time if they are 65 years old," she says.