Wada urges Kenya to turn anti-doping promises into action before 2029 worlds

World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka has urged Kenya to demonstrate that its commitments against doping are producing results as the country prepares to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Speaking to the BBC after a three-day visit to Nairobi, Banka said protecting Kenya's credibility required effective enforcement and a stronger culture of clean competition, not simply promises from its leaders.

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According to BBC Sport, Banka met President William Ruto, government and sports officials, athletes, law-enforcement representatives and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, known as Adak. He said Ruto's government had committed to zero tolerance of doping, while stressing that Wada would monitor what followed. Their discussions also addressed Adak's independence and the government support it needs to carry out its work.

Kenya was awarded the championships in September, becoming the first African country selected to stage the event, the BBC reported. That decision has brought renewed attention to its doping record: more than 140 Kenyan athletes, most of them distance runners, have been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit since 2017. Banka identified implementation, rather than the existence of anti-doping rules and standards, as the central challenge.

Testing infrastructure remains another issue. Africa currently has no Wada-accredited doping control laboratory after the facility in Bloemfontein, South Africa, lost its accreditation. The BBC reported that Wada suspended the laboratory in March 2024 over failures to meet its international laboratory standard, then revoked accreditation in May 2025 because the problems had not been satisfactorily resolved.

Banka said Kenya had expressed political interest in creating a laboratory of its own, but warned against assuming it could secure accreditation before the 2029 championships. He explained that approval takes years because errors can have serious consequences for athletes. His assessment puts the immediate emphasis on improving Kenya's existing anti-doping arrangements rather than expecting a new facility to resolve its difficulties.

Banka also called for action against those supplying and enabling doping, including coaches, doctors and managers, rather than focusing solely on athletes. He said intelligence indicated performance-enhancing drugs were being produced in Kenya, while stressing that doping was an international problem. Wada cannot dismantle criminal supply networks itself, he said, making law enforcement an important part of the response.