Police manhunt for pharmacist suspected of helping Kenyan athletes dope
Kerich Pharmacy that was closed by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet in January last year.
A Kenyan pharmacist, James Cheruiyot Kipsanai, who is suspected of administering performance-enhancing substances to athletes in Rift Valley, is on the run after escaping a multi-agency dragnet on Thursday in Eldoret.
Kipsanai has been on the radar of the Anti-doping Agency of Kenya (Adak), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) since January last year.
According to Adak Senior Compliance Officer Dennis Keitany, Kipsanai, who operated a pharmacy in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet, before opening another in Kapsoya, Eldoret, managed to elude detectives, who had come to investigate his new pharmacy by locking himself inside before escaping through the ceiling.
Keitany told Nation Sport that the suspect closed his pharmacy in Iten, then opened a new one under the same name, Kerich Pharmacy, in Kapsoya.
Kispanai was first arrested at his pharmacy in Iten in January last year following a tip-off, Keitany said.
They found Kispanai treating some athletes with substances that were later found to be illegal. However, the pharmacist was found to have stocked triamcinolone acetonide but could not prove how he acquired or dispensed the substance.
According to documents that Keitany produced, Kerich Pharmacy was shut down on January 26, last year, by officers from Iten Police Station pending investigations.
“The case became complicated with no concrete evidence to pin the suspect who was released on a police bond as we continued to build the case,” said Keitany.
However, the Adak officer said that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) finally recommended the prosecution of Kipsanai in a letter dated January 8, 2025.
Kipsanai was directed to present himself before the court in Iten to answer to five charges, including administering prohibited substances to an athlete, contrary to section 42(4) (B) of the Anti-Doping Act No.5 of 2016.
The pharmacist was also charged with being in unlawful possession of a prohibited substance contrary to Section 42(4)(c) of the Anti-Doping Act No.5 of 2016 and using an unlicensed premises as a health facility contrary to Section 22(b) of the Medical Practitioners and Dentist Act CAP 523 Laws of Kenya.
Kerich Pharmacy that was closed by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Kapsoya, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu on Thursday last week.
Kipsanai has also been accused of rendering medical services without being registered and licensed.
He also faces charges of failing to make entries of some drugs like sustanon, used to treat confirmed testosterone deficiency in males.
Wanted
A warrant for his arrest was issued on January 15, after he failed to present himself before court in Iten as Adak and DCI officers swung into action with their informers leading them to Kapsoya.
Keitany said that it is at the point where they identified themselves that Kipsanai locked himself inside the pharmacy before fleeing last Thursday.
“The multi-agency team was forced to gain entry into the building, but the suspect managed to escape through the ceiling,” said Keitany. He said they found several used vials of erythropoietin, triamcinolone acetonide, and other prohibited substances. The World Anti-Doping Agency named triamcinolone in its prohibited list in 2014 as it helps athletes lose weight without suffering a significant loss in power.
These fresh findings and the case have been reported and booked at Kapsoya Police Station.
“We shall process fresh charges through similar findings involving the same person in different counties. We already have a court case in Elgeyo Marakwet, and now this one in Uasin Gishu,” said Chief Inspector Philip Langat from the DCI.
Langat urged members of the public to come forward with any information that could lead to the arrest of Kipsanai, saying that their cooperation is vital in the fight against doping and illegal use of pharmaceutical products.
Keitany said that Kipsanai would face more charges since he is not allowed to stock erythropoietin and triamcinolone acetonide.