The move by Athletics Kenya to bar any athlete who has been associated with doping from representing the country at any major championship event is commendable.
The message was clear when none of them were invited at the ongoing national trials for the Africa Games at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
AK President Jackson Tuwei was firm that no doping cheat would have a chance to don the national colours during the well-attended athletes’ conference last December in Nairobi.
Kenya, which has been grouped in Category ‘Ä’ of countries where doping is prevalent, is still on the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) watch list.
Already, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has hinted that the anti-doping laws that came into effect in 2016 will be reviewed to make them effective and punitive.
The signing of the Anti-Doping Bill into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta saw Kenya avoid being banned from taking part at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships in athletics.
Tellingly, close to 200 athletes have been sanctioned for the past three years over doping offences. This is despite AK and Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak)having put in place measures to curb the vice.
The fact that doping cheats continue to be caught is a clear manifestation that the systems are working, hence AK, IAAF and Anti-doping bodies should not relent.
We call on AK not only to pick a strong team but also honest athletes to represent Kenya at the African Games planned for August 23 to September 3 in Casablanca, Morocco.
We better have a few but trusted athletes competing for the country than a big squad of cheats.
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