Tum: War on doping is no longer Adak or Athletics Kenya affair

Sports PS Peter Tum addresses journalists attending Anti Doping workshop held at PrideinnParadise in Mombasa on July 15,2023. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Kenya’s war against doping will not only be an Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) and Athletics Kenya (AK) affair, the Ministry of Sports has said.

The ministry said the war waged to get Kenya out of category A of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will be won with a multifaceted approach, and new partners have been lined up to intensify crackdown on cheats.

Sports Principal Secretary Peter Tum on Saturday said the Ministry of Health will be brought on board in the intensified battle.

Adak Chief Executive Officer Sarah Shibutse had on Friday said a massive testing of Kenyan athletes was in the offing and indicated that the move might result in a huge number of positive tests.

Yesterday, Tum said the sports ministry was roping in more partners in its bid to deal with cheats.

Among the Ministry of Sports’ plan in the latest war, according to Tum, is massive testing of athletes to net more drug cheats and establishment of an anti-doping laboratory in the country to reduce results turnaround time

Tum was addressing sports journalists in Shanzu, Mombasa County.

The Sports PS said Kenya has committed five million dollars (Sh707 million) to help the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) facilitate the massive testing and surveillance.

“We need to work with the Ministry of Health in the fight against doping.

“There are people qualified to do (anti-doping) tests. We want to use the personnel in doing more tests,” Tum said.

Tum however said it would take a longer period to have an accredited Kenyan anti-doping laboratory and may take a long time because the country would be mandated to meet stringent requirements to secure Wada accreditation.

Kenya Medical Research Institute had earlier this year announced a plan to set up an anti-doping laboratory in Eldoret.

“As government, working closely with AIU, we are going to the grassroots to ensure that we cast the net wider,” Tum said.

Like Shibutse, the Adak CEO, Tum asked Kenyans to brace for a high number of positive doping cases soon when the planned massive testing begins.

“The expected high number of positive doping results will not mean that Kenya is doping. It means that the country will be getting rid of cheats, with the help of AIU,” Tum said.

He went ahead to say: “We are now funding AIU to a tune of 5 million dollars annually to carry out anti-doping tests and to ensure that all our athletes are clean. We develop ways and means of effective communication with agencies involved in the fight against doping.”

Shibutse said Adak had begun incorporating health personnel through their different association, in the renewed doping war.

“If there are no alternative medicines for sick athletes, they (pharmacists) can encourage the athletes to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemption. This is something we have started and going forward we will collaborate with all the medical practitioners,” Shibutse said.  

Head of Anti-Doping Unit at AK Charlotte Kurgoy said road racers in the country was on the rise, making it difficult to place them on the doping pool.

“The literacy levels among our athletes are low; a number of them did not attain secondary education. We are now planning to do training on vernacular languages, working closely with some retired athletes,” she said.