By Brian Magiri
The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy & Sports Kipchumba Murkomen has assured that the government will continue to support the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK).
In a meeting held with World Anti-Doping Agency Director Rodney Suigeler on Monday 30 September at the Talanta Plaza, the Cabinet Secretary promised that his ministry would comply with WADA rules and regulations to enhance the reliability of ADAK.
“We are committed to complying with WADA regulations and implementing the audit recommendations to strengthen ADAK,” he stated.
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During the meeting where ADAK chairman Daniel Makdwallo and CEO Ms. Sarah Shibutse were also present, Murkomen pledged to ensure that the sports sector in the country is managed with integrity.
“As a major sporting nation, we are duty-bound to uphold the highest standards of integrity in our sports,” he added.
The meeting also addressed how Kenya can meet the timelines for the WADA audit recommendations and also hosting a continental anti-doping conference for the first time.
“Our discussions revolved around compliance with WADA regulations, timelines for implementing the WADA audit recommendations concerning the work of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), and hosting a continental anti-doping conference in Kenya for the first time,” he stated on his X page.
ADAK express concerns over budget cuts
Earlier last month, ADAK Chair Makdwallo announced that the agency is at risk of halting its operations due to a drastic budget cut for the 2024-25 fiscal year, reducing its allocation from 288 million to 20 million Kenyan shillings.
He expressed concern that the agency has not been allocated sufficient funding to undertake its core mandate programs such as testing, education, and results management.
“However, there is a concern I thought prudent to point out. This financial year 2024/25, the agency has not been allocated funding to undertake its core mandate programs (i.e. testing, education, results management, and investigation & intelligence),” he said.
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