The government has announced comprehensive reforms to strengthen Kenya’s anti-doping regime, reaffirming the country’s commitment to fair competition and clean athletics.
The measures come as Kenya races against a 21-day deadline set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to address outstanding compliance issues.
Speaking at Nyayo National Stadium during an inspection of ongoing tartan track works, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Salim Mvurya, said the reforms will enhance the technical capacity of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) through a robust policy and legal framework that meets global best practices.
Among the key measures is a commitment by the National Treasury to ring-fence funding for ADAK programs.
“The government is providing an action plan and commitment beginning with the supplementary budget to allocate additional funding for ADAK in this financial year,” CS Mvurya stated.
He added that the government is also restructuring the agency to strengthen its board and technical personnel.
“We are reviewing the organogram to bring on board the right experts needed to enhance ADAK’s efficiency and effectively manage anti-doping programs in Kenya,” he explained.
Kenya has so far resolved 30 out of the 35 compliance issues raised by WADA, with a progressive action plan submitted to tackle the remaining five.
“We are in constant communication with WADA on the implementation of the corrective action plan. We expect a positive response in the coming months. This demonstrates the government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our sport,” Mvurya affirmed.
He further highlighted that Kenya’s recent medal haul at the World Athletics Championships was a “clean win,” with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirming that Kenyan athletes had been given a clean bill of health.
WADA declared Kenya non-compliant for flouting its code on September 11,2025, giving the Kenyan anti-doping body 21 days to correct non-conformities in full or risk suspension from today.
A statement by the WADA executive committee meeting in Prague revealed that if the suspension was effected and Kenya failed to comply within six to 12 months, there could be further consequences including an international ban.
This means the annual World Athletics Continental Gold Tours events like the Kip Keino Classic and Sirikwa Classic Cross County Championship that Kenya hosts will be in jeopardy.
An international ban would mean that any participation of the country's sportsmen and women at major world events would be undera neutral flag.
On the other hand the Nyayo National Stadium tartan track is 90 percent complete and is expected to be ready within a week, after which a canopy will be installed to modernize the facility to international hosting standards.