WADA boss Bańka invites collaboration in anti-doping war

The Polish former athlete touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday. 

He held a series of consultative meetings during his stay, including sit-downs with President William Ruto at State House, Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed, officials from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), and a cross-section of athletes who shared their experiences of the country's ongoing anti-doping reforms.

Describing Kenya as the "home of champions," Bańka said the engagements had been aimed at evaluating the country's progress in combating doping, particularly within athletics, where Kenya remains under close watch as a Category A nation under the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Bańka framed anti-doping as fundamentally a collaborative effort, noting that success depends on coordinated action between government, anti-doping organisations, sports federations and athletes. 

“Anti-doping is all about collaboration. We cannot achieve our mission if we do not collaborate. I think we all share the same values, the values of sport. 

I believe that, with strong support from the government, starting with His Excellency the President through the Ministry, our friends from the Olympic Committee, ADAK, and the different federations, Kenya can be a role model for the region in how to fight against doping effectively,” Banka stated.

President Ruto confirmed Kenya's intention to criminalise doping offences starting January 2027.

“Kenya is closely working with the WADA to ensure that our sports remain clean. Since Kenya domesticated the anti-doping law in 2016, we have continued to strengthen it as new realities emerge,'’ the president said.

Ruto said the move builds on the country's domestication of anti-doping law since 2016 and is designed to fully align Kenya's national legislation with the World Anti-Doping Code ahead of the 2027 deadline.

The visit also served to reaffirm the progress Kenya has made since being flagged for 35 critical gaps in legislation, governance, operational independence and testing back in 2024. 

Those shortcomings had placed ADAK on WADA's non-compliance watchlist, but following structural reforms, Kenya was officially removed from the watchlist in March 2026, a milestone Bańka's team used as a benchmark during this visit's assessments.

Discussions also touched on Kenya's broader investment in the fight against doping, including the country's five-year, USD 25 million anti-doping programme and an annual commitment of roughly KSh 600 million pledged to ADAK, alongside the rollout of the Clean Sport Education campaign now being incorporated into school curricula nationwide. 

The 2025/26 national budget allocation of KSh 241 million to ADAK for testing, education and enforcement was also referenced as evidence of the government's continued financial commitment to the cause.

For FKF, the meeting with Hussein Mohammed offered an opportunity to reaffirm football's role within Kenya's broader clean-sport agenda, particularly as the country ramps up preparations to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania, a tournament that will place Kenyan sporting institutions under heightened international scrutiny.

With the criminalisation pledge, continued funding commitments and renewed institutional cooperation now on record, the visit is being viewed by stakeholders as a significant step in cementing Kenya's standing as a credible, compliant partner in the global fight for clean sport, even as questions remain about how quickly these commitments will translate into a measurable reduction in doping cases.