The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) was founded in 1965 under the Kenya Red Cross Society Act (Chapter 256 Laws of Kenya) and officially acknowledged by the Kenyan government as a voluntary aid society working alongside public authorities. It holds the distinction of being the sole National Red Cross Society in Kenya.

Regarding its relationship with public authorities, KRCS maintains independence, enabling it to operate in alignment with the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its Constitution is rooted in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977, to which Kenya is a signatory