NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 29 – Senators on Tuesday unanimously passed the Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2020 that once assented into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta will see doping athletes face punitive measures including jail terms.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had warned Kenya against failing to align its anti-doping laws with the new WADA codes and regulations by December 31, 2020.
The National Assembly had passed the bill on December 22, 2020.
With the Senate also having approved the bill, doping in sports will now be criminalized with those found engaging in the vice set to face the full wrath of the law.
Once assented into the law, the bill will harmonize the Anti-Doping Act of 2016 with the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code and Regulations to which Kenya is a party to.
The first WADA Code was adopted in 2004 and was later amended with a new code adopted in 2009.
The current code was ratified in 2015 and is due to be replaced by the 2021 code which will become operational on January 1, 2021.
The 2021 Code has introduced new international standards namely; the 2021 International Standard for Education (ISE) and the 2021 International Standard for Results Management (ISRM).
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