President William Ruto has directed an immediate reshuffle at the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) following warnings from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over alleged non-compliance. The directive, issued on Thursday, October 2, came as WADA’s 21-day ultimatum for Kenya to meet international standards expired.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting with Kenya’s athletics team at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Ruto emphasized the need for urgent reforms to safeguard the integrity of Kenyan sports. He instructed the Ministry of Sports to reorganize ADAK and inject professionalism into its operations.
“We will do whatever it takes, and my instructions to Waziri are we reorganise ADAK properly and inject professionalism. Make sure you work with best international standards so that we can continue sports in Kenya with the integrity it deserves,” Ruto said.
The President’s directive follows a May 2024 audit by WADA’s Compliance Review Committee, which identified gaps in Kenya’s anti-doping laws, regulations, and implementation. The findings placed Kenya at risk of sanctions, including possible bans from international competitions, disqualification of athletes, or suspension of funding from global sporting bodies.
Ruto praised the Ministry for its cooperation with WADA but warned against individuals seeking to exploit athletes for personal gain. His remarks came shortly after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) suspended Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat for doping violations, further highlighting Kenya’s anti-doping challenges.
“Kenya is a great sporting nation, and we don’t want our sportsmen and women to be adulterated by anybody,” he added.
On sports funding, the President reiterated that resources from the Sports Fund will only be used to develop talent and infrastructure nationwide.
The reshuffle at ADAK is expected to be the first step in restoring global confidence in Kenya’s athletics, a sport that has long been a source of national pride.
