For Kenya to maintain its pride, doping must be stamped out

Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich in the women's race of the 2020 London Marathon on October 4, 2020. [AFP]

It is not in doubt that the doping menace continues to pose a serious threat to Kenyan athletics. The world and course records set by Kenyan elite athletes are under scrutiny and clouded by doubts.

If a Kenyan athlete shatters a world record today, the question of whether the star that made history ran clean or not pops up. Just recently, marathon great Ruth Chepngetich was slapped with a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), a year after she became the first woman in the world to run under two hours ten minutes in 42km. A week before that, Diana Chepkorir was slapped with a four-year doping ban. Two weeks ago, Esther Gitahi was banned for for four years for the same reason.

Although Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 world record set in Chicago last October was not disqualified, her performances are cast in doubt by the doping allegations.

Earlier last month, Kenya survived grave sanctions after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) gave it four months to be fully compliant with the rules governing clean sport.

Sources privy to the goings-on in saving the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) from suspension and possible ban said it took a diplomatic rollercoaster to get the athletics powerhouse off the hook.

Wada Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting on September 11 endorsed a recommendation of the global body’s Compliance Review Committee (CRC) that alleged that Adak was non-compliant with the rules.

According to Wada, the non-compliance was a result of Adak’s failure to address several critical requirements following an audit carried out by Wada in May last year.

The move by Wada exposed the gaps in the war against cheating in sport, a vice that is ruining the country’s reputation as the cathedral of distance running.

If there is a time that Kenya must decisively fight cheating and smash cartels in the doping underworld, it is now.

The war against doping is far from being won when the menace can’t be declared a national emergency even when a world record holder is sanctioned.

Late last month, an Indian teenager, Aman Malik, who was found guilty of aiding doping in Iten, was sentenced to three years in prison, and although it proved that the country’s investigative systems work, questions on lenient punishments came up. Kenyans questioned whether the country’s laws were tough enough to deter doping.

It is time to wage a serious war against doping, or Kenya loses its most successful sport- athletics.