Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has welcomed the decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to remove Kenya from its compliance watchlist after reforms at the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK).
In a statement on Wednesday, March 4, Mvurya announced the development and expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
“The Government of Kenya welcomes and notes with great satisfaction the decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to formally close the compliance procedure concerning Kenya and remove the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) from the compliance ‘watchlist’,” the statement read in part.
Mvurya explained that the decision was based on recommendations from WADA’s oversight structures, confirming that Kenya had met the required benchmarks.
“Acting on the recommendation of its Compliance Review Committee, WADA has confirmed that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya has fully aligned with the World Anti-Doping Code and the applicable International Standards,” the statement added.
Mvurya further noted that the clearance brings to an end a process that began after an audit conducted in May 2024.
“This decision marks the successful conclusion of the corrective process that followed the audit conducted in May 2024 under the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS),” the statement continued.
Mvurya detailed the steps taken by the government and ADAK to address the gaps identified during the audit, highlighting reforms aimed at strengthening governance and operational independence.
“Following the audit findings, the Government moved swiftly and decisively to address the identified corrective measures. ADAK developed and implemented a comprehensive corrective action plan within the stipulated timelines, which strengthened governance and oversight structures, enhanced operational independence, improved results management processes, reinforced intelligence and investigations capacity, and streamlined the management of athlete whereabouts systems,” the statement further read.
Mvurya noted that the matter was handled with urgency at the highest levels of government, with the ministry offering policy and administrative backing to ensure compliance.
“Throughout this process, the Government of Kenya treated the matter with the seriousness and urgency it deserved. My Ministry provided firm policy direction, administrative support, and enhanced resource allocation to ensure full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and its International Standards,” the statement noted.
According to Mvurya, the decision restores confidence in Kenya’s sporting systems and reinforces the country’s commitment to integrity in athletics and other disciplines.
“The removal of Kenya from the compliance watchlist sends a clear and powerful message to the global sporting community: Kenya remains firmly committed to clean sport, institutional accountability, and international cooperation in safeguarding the integrity of athletics and all sporting disciplines,” the statement explained.
Mvurya acknowledged that compliance remains an ongoing responsibility under global monitoring mechanisms.
“While we celebrate this milestone, we remain fully aware that compliance with the global anti-doping framework is a continuous obligation. WADA retains the mandate to monitor signatories under its ongoing compliance oversight system, and Kenya welcomes this oversight as a necessary mechanism that strengthens credibility, transparency, and trust in sport,” the statement concluded.
The new development comes months after the Ministry of Sports unveiled new reforms aimed at strengthening Kenya’s anti-doping framework in a bid to reinforce the country’s standing as a leader in clean athletics and fair competition.
Speaking on Thursday, October 2, 2025, Mvurya said the measures were designed to improve the technical capacity of ADAK through policies that met global best practices.
According to Mvurya, a major highlight of the reforms was the financial commitment from the National Treasury, which had agreed to ring-fence funding for anti-doping programs.
“The government is providing an action plan and commitment beginning with the supplementary budget to allocate additional funding for ADAK in this financial year,” he said.
Mvurya noted that the reforms would also see a restructuring of the agency to strengthen its board and technical staff in line with international standards.
“We are reviewing the organogram to bring on board the right experts needed to enhance ADAK’s efficiency and effectively manage anti-doping programs in Kenya,” he added.
Mvurya revealed that Kenya had made steady progress in meeting requirements set by the World Anti-Doping Agency, having resolved 30 of the 35 compliance issues highlighted.
He added that a progressive action plan had since been submitted to address the remaining five.
“We are in constant communication with WADA on the implementation of the corrective action plan. We expect a positive response in the coming months. This demonstrates the government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our sport,” he further said.
