Doping suspect arrested at JKIA trying to sneak in drugs

• The suspect was nabbed at the JKIA
• Kenya has scaled up the fight against doping
• The government increased ADAK’s budgetary allocation to fight the vice

 A suspect has been nabbed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) with an assortment of prohibited doping substances without a valid permit or license.

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) said the suspect attempted to sneak the medicaments into the country but was nabbed by hawk-eyed Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers.

“The suspect attempted to fool officers stationed at the airport scanning area. Unbeknownst to the suspect, the well versed and trained DCI officers on matters anti-doping were keenly waiting to pounce on her and the consignment of doping medicament,” a statement from ADAK said.

The seized medicament contained 399 boxes of Levosalbutamol, 250 boxes of Carvedilol and 150 boxes of Triamcinolone Acetonide injections.

Kenyan athletes have recently been sanctioned and flagged after samples they provided were found to contain triamcinolone acetonide. Triamcinolone acetonide is a prohibited substance under the 2023 WADA Prohibited List under the category S9: Glucocorticoids. The substance is prohibited in-competition when administered via certain routes.

The fight against the vice has gone up a notch in the past one year as the country seeks to slay a monster that has stained its reputation as a powerhouse in athletics.

Kenya in AIU’s Category A

Kenya was placed in Category A of countries where doping is rampant, which ultimately made it beholden to certain stringent rules to enable its athletes participate in World Athletics-sanctioned events.

“ADAK remains undeterred in the fight against doping in sport and continues to gather intelligence and conduct investigations on suspected doping activities around the country. The Agency reiterates its commitment in discharging its mandate. Enforcement of the World Anti-Doping Code and ADAK Anti-Doping Rules shall continue, and the doping menace shall be defeated,” ADAK CEO Sarah Shibutse said.

The drugs nabbed at the JKIA

ADAK has been working with other bodies, including security apparatus, World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to rid the sport of fraudulent athletes even as the war extends to unscrupulous coaches, agents, suppliers and pharmacies that propagate the crime.

During the Team Kenya Trials for the World Athletics Championships, all athletes who participated were subjected to a rigorous testing procedure, supervised by the AIU to ensure that only clean athletes earn a ticket to Budapest.

More intelligence 

Thomas Capdevielle, the Head of Testing and Compliance at the AIU who was present during the entire exercise said that more testing and intelligence will lead to more drug cheats being netted, and this will have a dent on the country’s image at the moment, but good in the long term.

“We have more testing in Kenya because definitely there are more athletes here competing at a very high level all over the world. We are not just focusing in Kenya because this is something we do all over the world,” he added.

Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba has continuously reiterated that the country wil not tolerate the vice.

The government recently approved an increase in ADAK’s budgetary allocation to ensure that that they are better equipped.