The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has moved Kenya from non-compliance status to the watch list, but has maintained that several issues threaten to derail the nation's doping control measures.
The move, a step up, was announced on Thursday, October 30, by WADA’s Director General, Olivier Niggli, as cases of doping among Kenyan athletes continue making headlines.
"By going onto the watch list from non-compliance means that we're going to make sure that everything gets implemented and we're going to see what they do for about six months now watching closely," Niggli told Reuters at a World Anti-Doping Agency media briefing.
"Make sure that the promises they made, the investment they promised, is coming to place," he added.
Even so, WADA maintained that Kenya was not out of the woods yet, singling out the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) for its failure to properly address the country’s doping issues.
Niggli, who termed Kenya’s issue as ‘complicated’, said the issue was around ADAK not doing enough testing and lacking the staff to carry it out effectively.
"Challenges such as whereabouts and so on will remain, because simply there's no address to find the athlete, but at least we're going to do as much as we can," he added.
"We all have to be realistic about the temptation for athletes in Kenya, who, by getting into the world level of sport, mostly in athletics, can make money that puts them and their family safe for the rest of their lives.
The latest comes after women’s marathon world record holder, Ruth Chepngetich, was banned for three years last week after admitting to doping violations.
In a notice on Thursday, October 23, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) revealed that the 31-year-old marathoner admitted to using the banned diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).
Since the start of the year, 20 Kenyan athletes, including Chepngetich, have been banned over doping violations, drawing scrutiny on the nation’s doping measures.
Back in September, WADA had issued Kenya a 21-day ultimatum to respond to claims of non-compliance after a May 2024 audit exposed serious gaps in Kenya's anti-doping rules, regulations, and legislation.
Consequences that Kenya could face for failure to address its doping issues would include being barred from hosting international and continental events and flying the flag abroad.
