Kenya must prove it can provide a “clean” environment for athletics if it is to maintain its credibility ahead of hosting the 2029 World Athletics Championships, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka has said.
Banka made the remarks after a three-day visit to Nairobi, where he met President William Ruto, government and sports officials, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), athletes and law enforcement representatives.
WADA said the visit was aimed at building on recent progress in Kenya’s anti-doping efforts as the country prepares to host the World Championships in 2029.
“Kenya calls itself probably ‘home of champions’, but every home has to have a good host and has to be clean to be credible,” Banka told the BBC.
“We absolutely need to instill the culture of clean sport.”
Kenya was awarded the 2029 World Championships in September, becoming the first African country to host the event.
The decision has brought renewed attention to the country’s long-standing doping challenges. More than 140 Kenyan athletes, mostly distance runners, have been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit since 2017.
Banka said President Ruto’s government had given him a clear commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to doping, but stressed that the commitment must be backed by measurable results.
“Wada will monitor this situation and observe the dynamic. Action speaks louder than words,” he said.
He added that his discussions with Ruto also focused on strengthening the independence of ADAK and ensuring the agency receives adequate government support.
2029 will be the real test
The Nairobi championships could become a major test of Kenya’s ability to protect its reputation and sporting legacy.
With Kenyan distance runners having played a major role in global athletics for generations, the country faces pressure to ensure the event is not only successfully staged but also backed by a credible anti-doping system.
“The problem with anti-doping is not with rules and standards,” Banka said. “The problem is with implementation.”
Testing infrastructure remains another challenge. Africa currently has no WADA-accredited doping control laboratory after the accreditation of the facility in Bloemfontein, South Africa, was withdrawn.
WADA initially suspended the laboratory in March 2024 following multiple failures to comply with its International Standard for Laboratories. Its accreditation was formally revoked in May 2025 after the issues were not satisfactorily resolved.
Banka said Kenya had expressed political interest in establishing its own laboratory but warned that it would be difficult for the facility to receive accreditation before the 2029 championships.
He said the accreditation process can take years because laboratory errors can have serious consequences for athletes.
Kenya’s more immediate priority, he suggested, should therefore be strengthening the wider testing system rather than relying on a new laboratory to solve its anti-doping problems.
‘Doping has no colours and flags’
Banka also rejected the suggestion that doping is solely a Kenyan or African problem, stressing that the issue affects countries around the world.
“Doping has no colours and flags,” he said, pointing to doping cases in established sporting nations including the United States, Germany and his native Poland.
“The problem would be to ignore this issue, not to tackle, or to pretend that there is no doping here.”
Banka said WADA can investigate doping in sport but does not have the authority to dismantle criminal networks involved in supplying banned substances.
“We are not a superpower. We are not law enforcement,” he said.
“They have tools to really go after those who are destroying the credibility of the sport and the country.”
He said intelligence suggested that performance-enhancing drugs were being produced in Kenya and described Africa as a significant market.
Banka also argued that athletes are often the “weakest points in the ecosystem”, saying anti-doping authorities must look beyond athletes who violate the rules and target coaches, doctors, managers and suppliers who facilitate doping.
Some athletes, he suggested, are being exploited by people “who have money, who have power” and view them as a means of making money.
