The government through the ministry of sports has reinstated Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) their normal budget to increase the fight against doping in the country.
Today, the anti-doping body announced that the 2024/2025 financial year was reinstated, which is critical funding decision, a major step in the country’s efforts to uphold the integrity of sport and reinforces the nation’s commitment to the global anti-doping agenda.
According to ADAK’s acting CEO Penianh Wahome, the reinstatement is not just a financial boost but a clear signal that Kenya remains resolute in safeguarding clean sport.
In a statement, she said “We express our sincere gratitude to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Dr. William Ruto, for his decisive leadership and unwavering support for clean sport. We also thank the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports for championing ADAK’s cause and ensuring that the fight against doping in sport remains a national priority.”
“The Parliamentary Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture was also very instrumental in advocating for sustainable funding and legislative backing. The entire Parliament has showed a unified resolve in protecting sport integrity. Lastly, we acknowledge The National Treasury for recognizing the urgency and allocating resources necessary for ADAK to fulfill its national and international obligations. The 2024/25 financial year had seen a drastic reduction in funding, dropping to KES 20 million, which threatened ADAK’s operations and risked Kenya’s compliance to the Code and related International Standards. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) flagged the matter as a major concern during the In-Person audit conducted last year in May and went ahead to issue Corrective Actions related to the impact of the budget cuts. It is gratifying to note that, following sustained advocacy, lobbying and inter-agency collaboration, the budget was recently enhanced to KES 185 million—revitalizing ADAK’s testing, education, and intelligence functions,” she wrote.
She stated that lack of sufficient funding did not affect the implementation of ADAK’s core mandates across the sport of Athletics, with Kenyan government committing a $5 million annually for five years (2023/24 – 2027/28) to bolster Anti-Doping efforts in athletics.
“For the second year running, ADAK continues to embrace a multi-agency and multi-pronged approach to mitigate the increasing incidences of doping Through strategic planning and support from the Enhanced Anti-Doping Project—a partnership with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and Athletics Kenya (AK)—the Agency delivered impressive results across its core pillars Testing, Education and Research, Intelligence and Investigations and Results Management. The Agency recognizes the importance of creating awareness in the fight against doping in sport. To this end, Anti-Doping Education remains the first point of contact for athletes, athletes support personnel and other persons,” she said
She added that ADAK is working to establish a nationwide network of Anti-Doping ambassadors, deepen engagement with youth and training camps, and cultivate a culture of integrity in sport.