World Anti-Doping Agency says while “some progress has been made” with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, there is “still a lot of work required”

Kenya is set to be placed on a ‘watch-list’ of nations at risk of breaching the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, according to the BBC.

The East African country had been asked to show commitment to the National Anti-Doping Organisation’s development.

On Thursday, WADA said in a statement that while “some progress has been made” with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, there is “still a lot of work required”.

According to the BBC, Kenya will be given two months to bring in new legislation and funding “or automatically be declared non-compliant” with WADA.

A WADA statement read in part: “WADA had asked a series of questions to the Kenyan authorities, and stressed that we needed the Kenyan Government to expedite, and show commitment to, the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) s development.

“We are awaiting concrete plans from the Kenyan Government for the funding of the NADO, and, crucially, the finalization of Kenya s legislation and anti-doping rules.

“We have not yet received the details nor the assurances we need from Kenya; and, therefore, this is now a matter for our independent compliance process.”

Christine Wambui Mugera, who is head of the regional anti-doping organisation in East Africa, told the BBC: “The biggest threat is the declaration of non-compliance and the possible consequences of that.

“The International Olympic Committee and other major event organisers, international federations, have the capacity to refuse entry for athletes from a country that has been declared non-compliant.

“But we have to wait to see how this plays out.”

Kenya has a newly-established NADO, but it is not yet operational.

The BBC report also heard from Asbel Kiprop, who was one of Kenya’s seven gold medal winners at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

“It’s a disgrace to a hard-working athlete when one athlete is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs,” he said.

WADA also said it is “extremely troubled” by reports that two Kenyan athletes had been asked for money in return for a reduction of their doping suspensions.

Koki Manunga and Joy Sakari, who are serving four-year doping bans, are reported to have claimed that the chief executive of Athletics Kenya, Isaac Mwangi, requested $24,000 bribes to reduce their suspensions. Mwangi is reported to have denied the allegations.

“WADA is most disturbed by these reports regarding extortion and bribery at the national level of sport, eerily similar sounding to what we learnt through the recent Independent Commission investigation into widespread doping in International Athletics,” said WADA director general, David Howman, in a statement.

“WADA will of course require more detailed information on these allegations from those concerned so that we can determine if this is a matter for us to investigate or for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Ethics Commission as part of its own inquiries.

“The allegations we have heard this week also illustrate the importance of having a robust, independent National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) fully functional in Kenya at the earliest opportunity. This is a vital step for a country of Kenya s sporting stature to take if it is to effectively protect clean athletes.”

Six other countries – Brazil, Belgium, France, Greece, Mexico and Spain – were placed on a WADA ‘watch-list’ last November and must meet strict conditions by March 18 or non-compliance will be declared.

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