DP Ruto speaks on doping: We run clean - Deputy President shares his side of story on the menace

Deputy president William Ruto addressing residents of solai in Rongai constituency ,Nakuru county on July 30,2016 during a fundraising .PHOTO:KIPSANG JOSEPH

Deputy President William Ruto arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday with a message that Kenya was committed to clean sport.

He said Kenya is known for clean sport and that was not about to change at the Rio Olympic Games.

“The IOC and the IAAF have tested our athletes twice and we have also tested them ourselves. We have complied with every request and demand as far as testing is concerned and we are confident all our athletes have gone through the process.

“We have complied to the demands of the IOC, IAAF and World Anti-Doping Agency and the legislation that gives power to the Anti-Doping Agency in Kenya is now in place,” Ruto said on arrival.

The DP’s comments came on the back of a doping allegation that had affected athletics team manager Michael Rotich, who has since been arraigned in court after allegedly asking for a bribe from British journalists who posed as doping officials.

Rotich who was sent home from Brazil after the allegations and is in custody as authorities carry out investigations.

While Ruto was entering Brazil, sprints coach John Anzrah was also boarding the next flight back home after confusion involving him and an athlete whose badge he used to access the dining area.

Anzrah was using the badge of an athlete who was due for an out-of-competition testing and when he was asked by Doping Control officials if he was the said athlete he agreed and even gave his urine sample and signed the documents which athletes sign after giving out samples.

The Doping Control officials later realised the mistake when the athlete presented himself to them and gave his sample and Anzrah’s sample was discarded.

The story was picked up by the media which reported that the coach was trying to cover up for the athlete, hence the news reports that Team Kenya was caught up in a doping scandal.

Anzrah was staying out of the Olympic Village as his accreditation does not give him access to the Athletes Village. Further, Kenya had already exceeded its quota of coaches in the camp and he was waiting for others to move out so he could check in.

Team Kenya Chef De Mission Stephen Soi said it was wrong for Anzrah to give the sample yet he was not an athlete, and had to be sent home because of indiscipline.