As the country grapples with increasing number of athletes violating anti-doping regulations, a top Athletics Kenya (AK) official has urged the government to declare the vice a treasonable offence.
According to AK South Rift Valley branch chairperson John Wachira, the harsh penalty will deter athletes from ever thinking of cheating or using banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Treason is covered under Chapter Seven of the Laws of Kenya on offenses against public order and attracts a death sentence.
“Just as we are ahead of the pack when it comes to long distance running, we must also be ahead in dealing with and slaying this doping dragon that is threatening to decimate our athletics prowess,” said Wachira.
He defended the tough measures taken by the AK national office to stamp out the doping mess as the best dose to end the mess that is slowly soiling the name of the country.
AK is contemplating rules that want athletes caught doping and who have served their suspensions not allowed to compete in both local and international competitions after completing their bans.
AK also want athletes working for the government found flouting the anti-doping rules fired “for ruining the image of the government and the country at large.”
“Such tough measures are necessary and crucial to repair Kenya’s badly damaged international track record which is increasingly becoming a laughing stock every time a Kenyan athlete wins a big race and later is found to have violated anti-doping rules,” said Wachira.
“When these athletes win in international arena, the national anthem reverberates across the globe and you can imagine if later the same athlete is found to have cheated. Nobody will ever trust and respect our athletes. That is why doping should be treated as a criminal offence and dealt with tough jail punishment,” he added.
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