Unholy herb: Do Kenyan players know smoking bhang amounts to doping?

Kenyan footballers should brace themselves for tough times ahead after Parliament passed the Anti-Doping Act 2016.

I can bet my last ‘ng’och’ that the bulk of our footballers will fail the doping tests spectacularly. Blame it on ignorance.

Our footballers are annoyingly ignorant, that’s why they dope so openly - and stupidly. Most players don’t even comprehend what doping is because their clubs don’t even bother to create awareness about the vice and its ramifications. This is alarming. It’s depressing that substances like cannabis (bhang), stimulants (miraa, mogokaa), narcotics (cocaine, heroin) and hookah (sheesha) are a consumed carelessly by most players. It’s the culture and the norm of being a Kenyan footballer.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), football is the sport with the highest number of doping samples - with an average of 30,000 samples annually.

The total annual number of samples collected and analysed in football allows the calculation of incidents of positive samples. In total, football shows a low overall incidence of positive samples – well below 0.45 per cent over the years.

It is however refreshing to note that random tests have commenced, with the likes of K’Ogalo’s Jacques Tuyisenge and Collins ‘Gattuso’ Okoth, Tusker’s Michael Khamati and Sofapaka’s Anthony Nyakan having already been tested. They are awaiting results.

Players found to have doped accidentally or otherwise possessed banned substances fail to cooperate with the anti-doping agency by disobeying summons, fail to produce urine samples, or willfully obstruct the agency from its work, can be imprisoned for up to a year, or fined of Sh100,000 or both.

Considering the average salaries of Kenyan Premier League (KPL) players, most will not be able to pay the fine, hence, are likely to end up in jail.

Medical practitioners prescribing or dispensing prohibited substances to footballers, abet or encourage use of doping substances, shall be liable and upon conviction, pay a Sh3 million fine or be jailed for a period not less than three years.

Registered bodies like Football Kenya Federation (FKF), KPL or clubs that refuse to cooperate with the anti-doping agency also risk being de-registered by the Sports Registrar.

While this is a welcome move, here is what is more shocking: the only Fifa-recognised medical doctor in the KPL is Doctor James Makanga of Tusker FC. See, it’s so easy for players to get prohibited prescriptions from quacks. Players should therefore avoid drugs prescribed by doctors who don’t know they are athletes. A player with medical conditions like asthma can get medicine from the federation - after his doctor fills a form to allow the athlete to play the sport - by invoking the therapeutic use exemption reasoning.

More importantly, it is FKF’s job to protect players from harm and ensure footballers compete on an even-playing field.