By KPC Sports Reporter
National-level sprinter Samuel Kimani Wanjiru has been handed an eight-year ban from competition after the Sports Disputes Tribunal found him guilty of multiple anti-doping violations, including the use of a prohibited anabolic steroid and tampering with the doping control process.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) said the Tribunal delivered the ruling on June 11, 2026, following findings that the athlete had used Methasterone, a substance prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, and had submitted falsified medical documents in an attempt to influence the results management process.
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The case arose from an out-of-competition urine sample collected by ADAK officers in Nyahururu on January 16, 2024. Laboratory analysis conducted at the WADA-accredited Karolinska University Hospital Laboratory in Sweden confirmed the presence of Methasterone and its metabolites.
According to ADAK, investigations were launched after suspicious medical documents were submitted to justify the positive test result.
The agency said the probe uncovered what it described as a coordinated effort to manipulate the anti-doping process through falsified hospital records and a retrospective Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) application.
Investigators established that Wanjiru had attached a prescription purportedly originating from Nyahururu County Referral Hospital, despite later admitting that he had never attended the facility.
Further investigations found that the athlete orchestrated the completion of TUE documentation using misleading information intended to legitimize the use of prohibited substances.
“The Sports Disputes Tribunal described the conduct as deliberate and intentional tampering designed to subvert the doping control process and mislead anti-doping authorities during results management,” ADAK said.
As a result, the Tribunal imposed a four-year ban for the presence and use of Methasterone, running from July 2, 2024, to July 1, 2028. This will be followed by a consecutive four-year ban for tampering, extending the athlete’s period of ineligibility to July 1, 2032.
The Tribunal also ordered the disqualification of all competitive results obtained by the athlete from January 16, 2024, including the forfeiture of medals, titles, points and prize money.
ADAK said the ruling sends a strong warning to athletes and support personnel seeking to evade anti-doping regulations.
“This decision sends a strong and unequivocal message that doping — and any attempt to manipulate the anti-doping process — will be detected, investigated, and sanctioned decisively,” the agency stated.
The agency further noted that the case demonstrates the growing strength of Kenya’s anti-doping intelligence and investigations framework, particularly in detecting sophisticated attempts to evade accountability through fraudulent documentation.
ADAK also commended the Sports Disputes Tribunal for upholding the principles of integrity, accountability and clean competition, while urging athletes, support personnel and medical practitioners to strictly comply with anti-doping regulations and verify all medications and treatments before use.
