The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has cleared 120 athletes to participate in the upcoming World Championships trials set for July, as the race to meet anti-doping protocols ahead of the global showpiece in Tokyo this September intensifies.
Under strict guidelines set by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Kenyan athletes eyeing slots to represent the country at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo must undergo three mandatory no-notice out-of-competition tests before August 29. The window for the first of the three mandatory had been set for May 24.
ADAK’s head of Anti-Doping education and research, Martin Yahuma, highlighted that compliance with AIU Rule 15 is non-negotiable for all athletes eyeing Team Kenya slots.
"We have to implement rule 15 of the AIU regulations, and one of the requirements was that ADAK conducts mandatory tests from September 2024 to May 24, 2025, on all athletes eligible to represent the country at the World Championships."
According to Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) rule 15, an athlete selected to represent a country ranked in category A in a major championship is required to have undergone three out-of-competition tests (urine and blood) 10 months before the competition.
He confirmed that Athletics Kenya (AK) submitted a list of 145 athletes eligible for testing, out of which 120 completed the first round by the May 24 deadline.
"We received a list of 145 athletes from AK. We have been able to test more than 120 athletes. The remaining 20, we were not able to reach them as they did not give us their whereabouts or in some instances, we did not find them in the areas they had provided in their whereabouts."
Yahuma also revealed that the majority of those unreachable athletes had shown little intent to pursue qualification for the World Championships.
"Out of the 20, most have not shown their preparedness to be eligible or beat the qualification standards for Tokyo."
The second round of testing is already underway ahead of the national trials in July, with some athletes having already completed the requirement due to tests conducted between September 2024 and May 2025.
"From the bracket we have, we are confident we have fulfilled our mandate, and we now move to the second round of testing."
"Some of the athletes have already undertaken the second test because between September and May, we conducted more than one test," Sisa added.
ADAK is currently finalising the official list of eligible athletes in collaboration with AK, with the third and final test set for after the World Championship trials.
"We are now finalising the list of athletes with AK, and within the week, we will have the final list so we can now narrow down to the second round of tests with the third tests coming after the trials," Sisa noted.
Yahuma noted that the agency was on course for the World Championships in September. "As far as testing is concerned, we are on course."
The agency’s efforts have received a significant shot in the arm with the government raising its budget allocation from Sh20 million to Sh185 million for the 2024/25 financial year.
ADAK CEO Peninah Wahome hailed the boost, saying it has strengthened the agency’s drive to ensure a clean Team Kenya travels to Tokyo. "We are glad the government reinstated our budget to Sh185 million, which has seen robust engagement in our programmes so far."
"Over time, we have seen increased testing capacity within the agency, and we have scaled up our testing programmes with a targeted approach focusing on high-risk athletes and regions," Wahome said. She added that ADAK intends to surpass the 4,161 tests conducted in the 2023/24 financial year
"For the 2023/24 financial year, World Athletics, through AIU, had given us a target of 3,500 tests, which we surpassed and conducted 4,161 tests. We are hoping to surpass that target during this financial year."
She reiterated the agency's focus on complying with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and AIU requirements. ADAK chairman Joseph Kagunda expressed optimism that government support would continue into the 2025/26 financial year.
"Currently, the Agency is working diligently, around the clock, to fully address the Corrective Actions and other mandatory requirements in a bid to maintain full compliance with the WADA Code."
"We hope that the coming year 2025/26 will see an even increased funding on the program to exude more confidence nationally and across the International sporting platform on Kenya’s commitment to presenting Clean athletes," Kagunda said.
