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Anti-doping council to be gazetted next week


A five-man body will be gazetted next week to deal with cases of sports doping in the country, Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario has said.

The new body will be known as the Kenya Anti-doping Council and will constitute high power government officials led by former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs James Waweru.

Speaking during the launch of the Kenya Sports Academy at the Moi International Sports Center Kasarani on Friday afternoon, Wario said that the council will roll out anti-doping programs across the country to educate athletes, and also engage experts in anti-doping research in order to combat the vice.

“Any sportsman who wants to dope should go somewhere else. Our sports must be clean and we will take every measure to ensure that our athletes continue to win clean. I call upon all federations to support the new council because we cannot eradicate this practice on our own,” Wario said.

ANTI-DOPING LEGISLATION

Professor Moni Wekesa who chaired a taskforce appointed by Wario in 2013 will also be part of the five-man team together with the government chemist.

Once gazetted, the government will pump in Sh 5.5 million to facilitate the body’s activities. Wario also said they will enact anti-doping legislation in order to equip the body with legal mandate to tackle the problem.

“Kenya must continue to win legitimately in the same manner we have done through the years. Any sportsman who will be caught using banned substances will have their licenses canceled and their names put in the country’s list of shame,” he said.

World Anti-doping agents are expected in the country this weekend to inspect and evaluate the steps the government has taken in dealing with the menace, and will conduct related seminars at the Ole Sereni Hotel in the course of next week.