The Kenyan government has committed Sh600m to use in its fight against doping

Kenya has been faced with a doping problem in the last few months.
The Kenyan government has committed Sh600m in its fight against doping.
The country stands the risk of incurring more sanctions from international sports governing bodies.

The use of illegal substances to enhance athletic performance is on the rise in Kenya.

In the past few weeks, Kenyan authorities have arrested several doping sportsmen including Kiprop Renju, Felix Kipchumba, Emmanuel Saina, and Philemon Kacheran, who are all currently on suspension.

As a result, the government has committed to cracking down on this issue by funding the Anti-doping Agency of Kenya (Adak). The agency will use the funds to intensify its operations and intelligence gathering.

The Kenyan government has set aside Sh600 million to help in the fight against doping for the next five years.

Ababu Namwamba the Sports Cabinet Secretary, noted that the allocated fund will be pivotal in amplifying the efforts in fighting the doping endemic in the country, by boosting Adak’s testing capacity. "We have set aside the monies to help fight this vice and ensure our athletes run clean going forward," Namwamba said.

He also noted that via this funding Kenya would be saved the embarrassment of facing further sanctions from the Athletics Integrity Unit and World Athletics.

"I have had fruitful discussions with World Athletics president Seb Coe and I have informed him of our scaled-up efforts to fight doping in the country," said the cabinet secretary.

Due to the sudden and glaring increase in doping cases in Kenya these past three months, Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei stressed that the government’s allocation to Adak couldn’t have come at a better time.

He said that the increased funding would make a significant dent in the doping community, effectively putting an end to the problem.

"The increased funding will go a long way in boosting our efforts in fighting the vice," noted Tuwei.

According to AP News “at least 45 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned for doping this year, either by the Athletics Integrity Unit or Kenya’s ADAK. It’s the highest number in Kenya for years. Another 20 doping cases involving Kenyans are currently being investigated.”