ADAK head of education and research Martin Yauma (L) with CEO Peninah Wahome during a press briefing/ TEDDY MULEIKenya risks a global ban from international sports after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) declared the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.
The decision follows a WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting on Thursday.
“The ExCo followed the recommendations from the independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) to allege the Kenyan National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) as non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), as it has still not addressed several critical requirements following an audit carried out by WADA in May 2024,” read a WADA statement.
WADA has given Kenya 21 days to challenge the ruling.
“Under Article 9.3.1 of the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), the Signatory has 21 days following the date of receipt of the formal notice of non-compliance to dispute WADA’s allegation of non-compliance, as well as the proposed consequences and/or the reinstatement conditions proposed by the Agency,” the statement added.
“It should be noted that the decision (including the consequences) will enter into force on 2 October 2025, unless the decision is challenged before the same date.”
The ruling adds pressure to Kenya’s athletics community, already rocked by doping scandals.
On July 17, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) suspended women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng’etich after a sample collected on March 14 tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide.
Earlier in March, former world half-marathon record holder Kibiwot Kandie was banned for “evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection.”
Similarly, 2023 Buenos Aires Half Marathon champion Roncer Konga was banned for three years, with all results since December 29, 2024 annulled.
Two-time national cross-country champion Sheila Chelangat also tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO).
Beyond Kenya, WADA’s ExCo expanded its compliance scope, placing Côte d’Ivoire and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) on a four-month watchlist.
“The ExCo also approved the recommendation from the CRC to add the Côte d’Ivoire NADO and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) to the compliance ‘watchlist’, giving these Signatories four months to address outstanding non-conformities.”
“The Côte d’Ivoire NADO has been added to the ‘watchlist’ in relation to its failure to address non-conformities identified through the Code Compliance Questionnaire (CCQ) exercise, while the IPF has still not addressed several critical requirements following an audit carried out by WADA in October 2024,” WADA said.
