Kenya eyes jail sentences for athletes caught doping

NAIROBI Kenya plans to impose criminal penalties — including possible jail terms — on athletes caught doping, and it’s working on new legislation on the matter, its sports minister said Tuesday.

The East African nation is known for its long- and middle-distance running prowess, but has been caught up in a string of doping scandals over the last five years.

In 2016, the World Anti-doping Agency put the country on its Category A list of nations on watch for anti-doping violations.

Amina Mohamed, the sports minister, said a team was working on legislation aimed at criminalizing doping by mid-2020.

“We are giving it the urgency it deserves,” she said.

Current Kenyan law stipulates jail terms of up to three years for support staff found guilty in connection with doping, but not for athletes.

The original draft of the law, announced in 2016 when Kenya was faced with expulsion from the Rio Olympics due to widespread doping, stipulated fines and jail sentences for athletes, too, but it was watered down.

From 2004 to August 2018, 138 Kenyan athletes tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, according to a WADA report.

Among the top athletes sanctioned for doping offences are 2016 Rio Olympics women’s marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong and former three-time Boston Marathon champion Rita Jeptoo.

The Athletics Integrity Unit is watching developments in Nairobi closely, a top official said.

“We especially want more comprehensive investigations done on athletes’ support staff and their entire entourage, like coaches, managers (and) pharmacists,” AIU’S Thomas Capdevielle said.

Ethiopia, Ukraine, Belarus and Bahrain are also on WADA’S watch list.