WADA tells Kenya to prove clean home for athletics before Nairobi 2029

Kenya must show it can be a clean home of athletics to keep its credibility as it prepares to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championships, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka has said BBC.

WADA is the global body that sets anti-doping rules and oversees testing. Banka spoke at the end of a three-day visit to Nairobi, where he held talks with President William Ruto, government and sports officials, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), athletes and law enforcement representatives.

Kenya was awarded the 2029 championships in September, becoming the first African country selected to host the event. Nairobi formally submitted its bid in August and will be the first African city to stage the championships Reuters.

The warning carries weight. More than 140 Kenyan athletes, predominantly distance runners, have been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit since 2017 BBC. The unit is the independent body that polices doping and integrity in track and field.

Banka said he received a clear commitment to zero tolerance on doping from Ruto's government. He said his discussions with the president focused on strengthening an independent ADAK, Kenya's national anti-doping body, and ensuring it has sufficient government support to do its job.

Much of that job turns on testing. Africa currently has no WADA-accredited doping control laboratory, a specialist facility approved to analyse athletes' samples, after the loss of the laboratory in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

WADA suspended the Bloemfontein facility in March 2024 for multiple failures to comply with its International Standard for Laboratories. It then formally revoked the accreditation in May 2025 after the problems were not satisfactorily resolved.

Banka said Kenya has shown political interest in establishing its own laboratory. He cautioned against expecting it to gain accreditation in time for the 2029 championships, a process that is long and highly technical.

He also said intelligence indicated that performance-enhancing drugs were being produced inside Kenya. That moves the issue beyond athletes who take banned substances to the supply chains around them, and to the role of police and investigators.

For fans, this means the road to 2029 will be measured off the track as much as on it. Kenya's distance running is loved far beyond its borders, from dawn training groups to championship finals. Keeping that trust will depend on testing, enforcement and funding holding firm over the next three years.