Namwamba welcomes World Aquatics move to lift Kenya ban

The Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has welcomed the lifting of Kenya’s four-year ban on its swimmers by the World Aquatics.

Namwamba said the move was timely enough to allow Kenyan swimmers to participate in qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Kenya was banned by World Aquatics in 2019 after the Kenya Swimming Federation (KSF) failed to meet election deadlines.

The KSF also faced allegations of discrimination while selecting swimmers for national, regional and continental competitions.

"It is important to note that sports is age sensitive and locking out a swimmer for four years may lead to killing of one’s career,” Namwamba said.

He revealed that going forward, his ministry will manage sports in a manner that the country would not fall into such pitfalls for suspensions and bans.

Namwamba also reiterated the country’s zero-tolerance policy on doping, warning athletes to run clean and that drug cheats would face severe punishments.

Kenya has faced accusations of widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs for years, but the athletics powerhouse has recently been buffeted by an increasing number of its runners testing positive.

The government has committed an annual amount of around Sh750 million over the next five years for the fight against doping.