Avoid performance enhancing substances, ADAK urges footballers

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya’s (ADAK) Principal Education Officer, Kennedy Mwai, has encouraged football players to protect their game by playing within the rules and avoiding performance-enhancing substances.

Mwai, who spoke at Kisii University during a Clean Sport Workshop for FKF Premier side Shabana players and members of the technical bench, reaffirmed ADAK’s commitment to ensuring athletes train and compete in a clean, doping-free environment. The one-day workshop was part of ADAK’s ongoing efforts to educate athletes on the values of integrity and fair play.

Key topics covered included the sample collection process, Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs), the Prohibited List and how to check medications, Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs), nutrition, and the safe use of food supplements.

Mwai particularly discouraged the players from the use of supplements, noting that the unregulated nature of the industry makes it hard to guarantee safety. “The supplements industry is unregulated. This means manufacturers are not obliged to give all the ingredients, or they may be contaminated during manufacturing. This makes the supplements unsafe,” said Mwai.

He told the players to use natural and healthy food, which is abundant in the country. “Instead of using protein supplements, you should eat beans, omena, eggs and other organic food,” noted Mwai

The team, which finished fifth in the 2024/2025 FKF Premier League season, became the focus of the agency’s second engagement with the Football Kenya Federation following last week’s session with league champions, Kenya Police FC.

“We want to do these workshops for all the teams in the FKF Premier League, but we have started with top-performing teams, including Kenya Police and now Shabana. Next week, we shall be with Tusker players as we intensify these sessions,” said Mwai.

Speaking after the session with Shabana players, technical bench, physios, and medical team, Mwai said the main aim of their workshops is to help the athletes not to dope inadvertently.

“We took them through the prohibited list, and other pitfalls that might make them dope without their knowledge. We want to ensure that footballers are also compliant with ADAK rules,” he noted.

 He further noted that they regularly test footballers and other sportsmen, but the numbers are not as high as in athletics. “We have footballers in the registered doping pool. We have trained them in filing their whereabouts, and they must adhere to this,” he added.  He cautioned against the use of performance-enhancing substances, including marijuana.