Doping: CS Amina lauds DCI for arresting forgery suspect

President Uhuru Kenyatta with WRC Safari Rally chief executive officer Phineas Kimathi (left) and Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed at Soysambu Competitive Sectionon April 24, 2021 from where the President followed the African Rally Championship Equator Rally’s action.

Photo credit: File | Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Amina said that to align our laws to the new World Anti-doping Code 2021 and newly introduced international standards, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Anti-doping Amendment Act 2020.
  • “Kenya is committed to the fight against doping and we remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that the agenda of anti-doping and clean sport is achieved in our country and across the world,” the ministry concluded.

Cabinet Secretary Sports Amina Mohamed has welcomed the progress made by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in arresting a forgery suspect believed to be part of an international conspiracy ring, out to tarnish Kenya's image in the athletics world.

Elias Kiptum, who has been on DCI radar for seven months, was on Monday arraigned before Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court.

Kiptum was accused of developing false doping allegations against Kenyan athletes, but denied all 12 charges leveled against him. He will remain in custody pending bail ruling which has been scheduled for Tuesday.

A statement on Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) social media pages indicated that Kiptum’s arrest and subsequent arraignment followed investigations by the DCI Anti-Narcotics Unit detectives.

The statement explained that the detectives have since September, 2020 been pursuing a criminal syndicate which has been working with foreign journalists in fabricating information on doping in Athletics Kenya.

Amina noted that whenever Kenya is about to participate in a major international sporting event, unscrupulous characters embark on a mission to disparage Kenya’s decades of well-deserved sporting repertoire.

Amina intimated that the trend can be traced to the eve of the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the 2017 World Championships in London and 2019 World Athletic Championships in Doha.

“Most recently, there is an attempt to tarnish our respected national standing as we prepare teams for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Amina.

Amina explained that it is common knowledge that any athlete found culpable of doping globally in any country is sanctioned in accordance with international anti-doping regulations. 

“This has been the case since doping was recognised as a crime at the beginning of the previous century. The athlete is the centre of government policy on sports,” said Amina.

Accordingly, Amina explained that her ministry has put in place a myriad of measures to protect and support the athlete as well as secure the integrity of sports in Kenya. 

For instance, Amina said the National Assembly passed the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya Act. No. 5 of 2016 to provide for the implementation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention Against Doping in Sport.

“There is also the regulation of sporting activities free from the use of prohibited substances and methods in order to protect the health of athletes and the establishment and management of the Anti-Doping Agency and to provide for the Agency's powers, functions and management and for connected purpose,” the minister stated.

Consequently, Amina detailed that ADAK was established in 2016 to undertake all Anti-Doping activities in the country and in 2018, it established the intelligence and investigation unit in accordance with the international standard for testing and investigations.

In 2020, Amina said, ADAK established an e-learning portal to reach out to all our stakeholders.

“This is the only one of its kind in Africa to date,” noted Amina adding that over 80,000 athletes have been educated on Anti- Doping matters and more than 4,200 samples collected from athletes for analysis at Wada accredited laboratories in Doha, Qatar and in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Amina said that to align our laws to the new World Anti-doping Code 2021 and newly introduced international standards, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Anti-doping Amendment Act 2020.

“Kenya is committed to the fight against doping and we remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that the agenda of anti-doping and clean sport is achieved in our country and across the world,” the ministry concluded.