World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka (L) with Sports PS Elijah Mwangi at JKIA/ HANDOUT World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Banka says his visit to Kenya is primarily aimed at strengthening the country’s anti-doping policy and reinforcing the structures safeguarding clean sport.
The global anti-doping chief arrived in Kenya on Sunday morning for a busy two-day programme that will culminate in a crucial press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking after touching down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Banka expressed his delight at making his first visit to the country as WADA President. “I would like to thank you all for the exceptionally warm welcome in beautiful Nairobi."
“It’s my first time as WADA President in Kenya, the home of champions and a beautiful country,” Banka said. He said his primary objective during the visit would focus on anti-doping matters and the country’s existing structures and policies.
“We are going to have a fruitful two days where we will discuss matters of anti-doping and how to strengthen anti-doping policy in Kenya,” he stated.
Banka further underlined the importance of strong institutional backing from both the government and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) to protect the integrity of athletics and ensure athletes compete on a level playing field.
“We want to make sure athletes are competing on a level playing field with strong support from the government and ADAK,” he said.
Banka will also hold a series of high-level consultative meetings with President William Ruto, Cabinet Secretary for Sports Salim Mvurya, officials from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) and athletes.
“I will have consultative meetings with the President, CS for Sports and friends from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and, most importantly, discussions with athletes,” he noted.
Following the consultative meetings, Banka said he would issue a statement outlining the outcome of his engagements and the way forward. “After the final day on Tuesday, I will speak,” he said.
Kenya’s relationship with WADA has been marked by a decade-long battle to build effective domestic anti-doping infrastructure, contain an alarming rise in doping cases among athletes and avoid international sporting sanctions.
Kenya first came under intense WADA scrutiny in 2016 when a growing number of positive tests threatened the country’s participation at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games over concerns about non-compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code.
To avert a potential ban, then-President Uhuru Kenyatta fast-tracked legislation in mid-2016 to establish the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), helping restore provisional compliance just in time for the Olympics.
Following a comprehensive two-year joint study released in late 2018, WADA and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) documented 138 positive cases between 2004 and 2018, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing Kenya’s sporting authorities. Kenya was subsequently placed in WADA Category A for high-risk doping nations, subjecting its athletes to mandatory and rigorous pre-competition and out-of-competition testing requirements.
In 2025, WADA again flagged Kenya’s national anti-doping agency after lingering deficiencies in its compliance with the Code, with concerns linked to funding shortages and administrative delays. The development piled pressure on the government and sports leadership to strengthen institutional oversight.
Kenya narrowly avoided immediate sporting sanctions after submitting an aggressive four-month corrective action plan, with WADA placing ADAK on a temporary “watchlist” until March 2026 to monitor the implementation of the required reforms.
Acting on a recommendation from its Compliance Review Committee, WADA subsequently confirmed that ADAK had successfully aligned its entire framework with the World Anti-Doping Code. With ADAK meeting all the required structural milestones ahead of the March 2, 2026 deadline, the case was resolved without any remaining compliance penalties, active watchlists or pending sanctions hanging over the country.
