CS Amina says govt wont give up doping fight

The Cabinet Secretary for Sports and Heritage Amina Mohammed says the Government will not let up in its fight against doping following a fresh wave of cases involving the vice.

Two high profile Kenyan athletes have already been charged with breaking anti-doping rules this year, putting the country in under sharper focus of the World Anti-doping Agency.

“We have put in place strict measures. The Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei has stated that athletes will be tested randomly so they should be ready and prepared for that. We will not allow a few individuals to tarnish our name!” CS Amina said.

Kenya is in Category A in the list of nations on watch for anti-doping violations and a report published by WADA in 2018 showed 138 Kenyan athletes tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs between 2004 and August 2018.

Former World Marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang and former World Under-20 champion Alfred Kipketer were both charged this month with breaking anti-doping rules, marking the latest setback for Kenya.

Last month Kenya said it plans to impose criminal penalties – including possible jail terms – on athletes caught doping by the summer of 2020 in a bid to get to grips with the problem.

Kenya is set to have a busy athletics calendar highlighted by the Olympic Games with the country also set to host the World Under 20 Championships in Nairobi in July.