•Sports Cabinet Secretary, Ababu Namwamba, is the latest among prominent Kenyans to raise their voices in the burgeoning crisis that is rapidly entrenching roots.
•"Kenya is in the midst of a doping crisis. This year alone, there have been no less than 30 cases of doping which threatens to tarnish the good and shining image of Kenya as a sporting nation,"— Namwamba
Image: FILE
The former Secretary of State of the United States, Colin Luther Powell, once said that dreams are not achieved by magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.
Powell was an American statesman, politician, diplomat and army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American Secretary of State.
Over time, the world has come to appreciate and worship success, so much so that people have been known to use all means at their disposal to achieve victory.
Unfortunately, many have taken the wrong path in their pursuit of glory and Kenyan athletes have been no exception.
As we speak, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has banned 25 Kenyan athletes who were found guilty of violating anti-doping rules.
What began as a triviality surrounding a couple of rogue local athletes has now ballooned into a national crisis with a growing number of Kenyans from all walks of life now calling for concrete measures to be taken to curb the evil.
Sports Cabinet Secretary, Ababu Namwamba, is the latest among prominent Kenyans to raise their voices in the burgeoning crisis that is rapidly entrenching roots.
During a parliamentary session to vet him for the post of Sports CS, Namwamba expressed his concern about the worrying trend.
"Kenya is in the midst of a doping crisis. This year alone, there have been no less than 30 cases of doping which threatens to tarnish the good and shining image of Kenya as a sporting nation," Namwamba said.
Recent cases in the country involved Boston Marathon 2021 champion Diana Chemtai Kipyokei and fellow Kenyan Betty Wilson Lempus who were both suspended due to anti-doping violations.
The duo tested positive for the prohibited substance, triamcinolone in 2021. Kipyokei, 28, returned a positive test after clinching the 2021 Boston marathon.
Lempus, 31, had initially been cleared by the French Anti-doping Agency but was found culpable upon further investigations conducted by AIU after his 2021 Paris half-marathon triumph.
AIU said the anti-doping rule violations stem from probes into the information provided by the athletes to explain Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) for metabolites of triamcinolone acetonide in samples they provided during in-competition tests last year.
The development came barely days after another Kenyan runner Mark Kangogo — winner of the Sierre-Zinal in August — also tested positive for triamcinolone. Kipyokei and Lempus are the 22nd and 23rd Kenyan athletes suspended in 2022.
AIU also banned Kenyan marathoner Philemon Kacheran Lokedi for three years after his sample tested positive for Testosterone.
Lokedi, 30, had been selected to fly Kenya's flag at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom but was replaced at the last minute by bronze medalist Michael Githae.
Lokedi was busted with an out-of-competition test that was carried out in Kapenguria on April 27 and the ban came into force retroactively on July 8, 2022.
Lokedi was initially suspended in July, just before the Commonwealth Games, where he was set to lead Kenya's team in Birmingham. AIU confirmed that Lokedi had his ban reduced by a year after he admitted the violation.
The 2017 world cross country bronze medallist Lilian Kasait, also found herself in trouble with the agency that banned her for 10 months.
Kasiat, 25, reportedly tested positive for a prohibited hormone therapy drug, letrozole.
AIU said in a statement that the Kenyan pleaded guilty to the doping charges and her suspension will run from April 2022 to February 2023.
Kasait secured a 12th-place finish in the 5,000 metres final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but her result has since been erased from the records after she tested positive.
The Commonwealth and African javelin record holder, Julius Yego has stressed the need for athletes to exercise patience as they eye global glory.
"Cases have increased and, of course, no one is happy with what is happening in the country at the moment. We have serious issues with many Kenyan athletes being linked to doping scandals that continue day by day,” Yego said.
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"The good news is that the national anti-doping organization ADAK is using an effective system considering that more athletes are being caught cheating. We should appreciate their work.
"For me, I will always say a dirty athlete will remain so. It is a confusing situation because our image has been tainted at the moment. Kenya is at the lowest level because every day two or three athletes are banned and you wonder what the problem is.”
Yego praised the local campaigns initiated by AK and ADAK to sensitize athletes about the dangers of using banned substances.
“We've had seminars organised by ADAK in collaboration with Athletics Kenya which has done so well to educate athletes on the importance of remaining clean and, of course, respecting the rules and the integrity of the sport.
Yego has linked the growing situation to ignorance which he points out has become a major problem among Kenyan athletes.
"If we face ignorance we will not have such cases because I fail to understand how athletes can have the courage to use drugs while knowing fully well that bodies like ADAK are set up to test them. They have very sophisticated machines to check and analyze the results of the samples and there is no way one can escape.
"The results come out very quickly and I think that after a while we will have many dishonest athletes being exposed. Yego asked local athletes to do their best to stay clean.
“Stop getting involved in doping because Kenya is bigger than everyone. We should respect our flag and the generations to come. If we continue to do those things, the country will not have role models for future athletes.”
No one is in a better position to advise budding athletes on the virtue of patience than Yego who earned the title of "Mr. YouTube" after spending years learning how to throw the javelin by watching YouTube videos.
Fellow javelin thrower Alexander Kiprotich also has a word of advice for colleagues about doping.
"I would like to tell Kenyan athletes that success in sports is not achieved overnight. It's a process and that's why people use anabolic steroids to get fast results. Let us be patient in what we do. You can't start running now and expect to break a record the next day.”
Kiprotich who is a javelin thrower is currently on Olympic solidarity funding to help him in his preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Head of Services, ADAK, Bildad Rogoncho believes they are on the right track in the fight against doping.
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“We have taken the fight against doping to a different level. Testing has gone up and each year we increase the number of tests that we conduct.
“The collaboration between AIU and ADAK has also increased and we are working very closely so that we can be able to uncover doping and also be able to arrest and curb this vice.
"As an agency, we've put in place steps that lead to the numbers you're seeing right now."
AK's head of anti-doping programs, Charlotte Kurgoy has warned of drastic measures to deter the vice.
"Moving forward even coaches will be responsible in cases where athletes will be found guilty of violating anti-doping laws," she said.
The Anti-Doping Agency (ADAK) has been created to protect the basic rights of athletes to participate in a doping-free sport.
The Government Agency was established through the Anti-Doping Act, of 2016.
ADAK's vision is to be a world-class Anti-Doping Agency, protect clean athletes and promote fair play.
ADAK says it is their mission to lead a coordinated national campaign of education and awareness against the use of doping, testing and promoting integrity in a doping-free sport.
The establishment of ADAK in 2016 by the law of Parliament laid the foundation for having a body that has the authority to manage the issues of doping in the country.
The drastic move came after IAAF president Lord Coe threatened to ban Kenya from participating in the 2016 Olympics. The East African athletics powerhouse had been placed on the 'watch list of countries at risk of violating WADA regulations, which prompted Lord Coe's comments.
It came after a series of positive drug tests among the country's athletes.
To date, Kenya remains in Category A of the list of countries whose athletes are more susceptible to doping offences and has, subsequently, been placed under strict laws against the use of muscle stimulants.
Kenyan athletes are, subsequently, required to undergo at least three out-of-competition tests in the 10 months before major championships.
AK Youth Committee chairman, Barnabas Korir, has reiterated the need for local athletes to stay above the board in their pursuit of fame and fortune.
Korir proposed severe penalties, including possible prison terms, for coaches and assistants who assist athletes in drug abuse.
"AK has found out that there are some coaches and athletes' assistants who may be involved and may also know what is going on," Korir said.
"While we wait for the new government, we are holding talks with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) on how to handle the whole issue. Strict action will be taken against those who abuse that trust," he added.
He said the AK has initiated national training programs for local coaches as part of regulatory measures.
"We have had discussions with ADAK to start providing education to trainers and support staff so that everyone has the necessary information to combat the negative behaviour of using performance-enhancing drugs."
Korir lashed out at some athletes who he accused of deliberately deceiving their peers by spreading outright lies about the supposed benefits of banned drugs.
"There is this false narrative being spread by some athletes that if you don't use a banned drug then you won't win any race because other people are using it.
"You will even find runners encouraging each other to use prohibited substances while claiming their competitors are using them."
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Korir said they have received information about a cartel of unscrupulous individuals who cash in on naive athletes.
"They are the ones who give banned substances to the athletes and they have even been visiting the camps to influence the athletes.
"We have information that they have been trying to reach the top athletes including those who participated in the Under-20 World Championships."
He said AK will continue to cooperate closely with the national anti-doping agency, ADAK to stop the practice.
"We provide every information we receive to ADAK for important steps. We have certain structures to ensure that the fight is not only aimed at athletes but also at all the basic factors that affect their performance. "
AK is determined to ensure all information received is shared with young athletes to sensitize them about the effects of using the evils of drugs.
Korir said they will continue to set up camps across the country to ensure young athletes are not influenced by these predators.
AK Chief Administrative Officer, Susan Kamau urged Kenyan athletes to refrain from violating anti-doping laws, saying the trend has gotten out of hand.
"Every time I open my computer and read those messages, I am shocked. Let the athletes run clean," she said.
"Earlier, we organized award galas for our athletes to celebrate their achievements. We have nothing to celebrate anymore because months after organizing the award ceremony, we receive the news that the athletes have been banned.
She advised athletes to join the Kenyan Doctors Network (KDN) which is in a better position to provide safe drugs that may not land them in trouble with anti-doping agencies.
"Encourage athletes to join the Kenyan Doctors Network who can advocate for their rights when necessary."
During a seminar held for central Kenya coaches last weekend, participants asked the anti-doping organizations to take strict action against the erring athletes.
AK equally introduced a raft of measures in a frantic bid to contain the rising cases of athletes using banned substances.
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In a strong statement issued earlier in the week, AK said it will launch its most potent weapons to wage permanent war against all suspected agents of doping in the country.
“As the national federation in charge of the sport in Kenya, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to weeding out the vice of doping in the country,” the statement read in part.
“Athletics Kenya will maintain its no-holds-barred fight against the use of prohibited performance-enhancing substances to jealously guard the gains Kenyan athletics has made since Naftali Temu became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1968 Games in Mexico.”
AK promised to use a multi-sectoral investigation involving the police, medical authorities and the immigration department to identify the culprits behind the use of muscle-enhancing drugs.
“We urge you all to join in this fight by reporting any suspicious activities among athletes, coaches, medics and others abetting doping to the nearest police station, or indeed any Athletics Kenya office,” AK said.
The national governing body expressed hope that joint efforts between the country and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) would bring the desired results.
“We support the AIU’s concerns and efforts to ensure that athletics remains synonymous with integrity and fairness.
AK took great exception to the recent doping scandals involving Kenya where up to 25 of the country’s athletes have been banned for violating anti-doping rules this year alone.
Only last month, the AIU raised a red flag on a negative Analytical Finding that pointed to the increased use of triamcinolone and acetonide among Kenyan athletes.
“Kenya has come a long way in building her reputation as a powerhouse in track and field through the achievements of our legends, from the pioneers, including Kipchoge Keino and Naftali Temu to the present-day stars such as Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon.”
AK said they will continue to lead a continuous campaign to ensure the use of performance-enhancing drugs is a thing of the past through cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), AIU and World Athletics in the investigation.
“In the past week, for instance, AK have undertaken a countrywide initiative to meet various coaches and athletes to equip them with skills and knowledge that will aid in the fight against doping.
“In equal measure, we have also put in place stringent measures to prevent athletes from falling prey to unscrupulous coaches and managers,” AK said.
On October 18, AK launched an awareness program targeting grassroots athletes to provide them with anti-doping rules.
The meeting which was held in Trans Nzoia county brought together junior athletes from the North Rift region.
The Federation in collaboration with the officials of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) called on young athletes to refrain from substance abuse.
Other topics taught included age manipulation, illegal gambling, transfer of trust, bribery and corruption as well as sexual harassment and abuse.
Opening the workshop, the chairman of the AK Youth Committee Barnabas Korir urged budding athletes to run clean.
"As a federation, we are concerned about young runners in this country and that is why we have made an effort to come and talk to you about this issue. The country has invested a lot in the youth and when you are preparing for the transition period, you need to understand that drugs to increase energy are bad," said Korir.
AK has also started coaching courses across the country where participants will be equipped with skills needed to combat substance abuse.