This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
Published on July 15, 2019, Kenya's anti-doping agency has disputed figures showing the country as the third-most cheating nation in East Africa.
According to local media, Kenya had 41 biological passport sanctions, behind India (42) and Russia (87). Japhter Rugut, Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) chief executive officer, attributed the high number to the country's large number of athletes.
“Kenya has many athletes, so comparing the frequency against the number of athletes may not give an accurate figure because the probability of getting positives are higher,” Rugut told Reuters.
He added that the WADA-accredited laboratory in Nairobi has started operating and has conducted many tests, with plans to conduct at least four tests on each athlete selected for the World Championships in Doha.
Athletics Kenya Executive Committee member Barnaba Korir also defended the country's anti-doping efforts, saying that the frequent exposure of cheats is a result of concerted effort by AK, ADAK, and AIU.
However, Kenyan athletics great Kipchoge Keino demanded that the root cause of doping be addressed first, saying that the country should start by identifying and prosecuting those responsible for killing its talented athletes.
