NAIROBI, Kenya, November 7 – Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has denied claims the Anti Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) is financially crippled and unable to undertake its activities.
Murkomen says they have put contingency measures in place to ensure the agency’s activities continue uninterrupted.
“It is not true that ADAK is grounded…it is not. We have put in place contingency measures to support their budget even as we await an enhanced budgetary allocation from the Treasury. We have expended resources from the Sports Fund to ensure the agency is functioning,” Murkomen said.
Moreover, the CS said high level discussions are ongoing to ensure ADAK receives an increased allocation in the supplementary budget.
“I have had a meeting recently with the president of the World Anti Doping Agency. Money can never be the reason why ADAK is unable to conduct it activities. We are in discussions with the National Treasury to ensure the agency’s allocation is increased in the supplementary budget,” Murkomen said.
ADAK has been in the news in the past two months after its annual budget was slashed from Ksh 288 million to Ksh 20 million in the 2024/25 financial year.
The move prompted widespread panic, with the agency CEO Sarah Shibutse warning that their activities were at risk of grinding to a halt due to inability to pay rent, salaries of employees and transport.
There is also the ultimate risk of attracting the wrath of WADA, which could declare Kenya a non-compliant member and lock it out of all international competitions, including next year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
During his visit to the country a week and a half ago, International Olympics Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach lobbied President William Ruto to facilitate enough funding for the anti-doping watchdog.
