Ruto says Kenya will align its anti-doping law with the WADA Code from January 2027

President William Ruto said Kenya is aligning its anti-doping law with the World Anti-Doping Code and Rules, to be put into operation in January 2027, after he met World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Bańka at State House, Nairobi, on Monday 5 October, The Star reported. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) reported on 6 October that Kenya is set to enforce the criminalisation of doping offences from January 2027.

"Currently, we are aligning the current law with WADA's World Anti-Doping Code and Rules to be operationalised in January 2027," Ruto said, as quoted by The Star and KBC.

KBC also quoted him saying: "Since Kenya domesticated the anti-doping law in 2016, we have continued to strengthen it as new realities emerge." He said Kenya is working closely with WADA to keep its sports clean.

Ruto said the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will be used in the fight against doping, according to KBC. According to The Star, he said the unit would become an integral part of efforts to combat doping.

In 2024, WADA flagged 35 critical gaps in Kenya's anti-doping system, covering legislation, governance, operational independence and testing, according to The Standard and Citizen Digital. The Standard reported on 28 February 2026 that Kenya had been officially removed from WADA's compliance watchlist.

Bańka arrived in Nairobi on Sunday 4 October for a three-day official visit, Pulse Sports reported. The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports hosted a dinner for him on Monday night, attended by Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, Mozzart Sport reported on 6 October. According to Mozzart Sport, Bańka said at the dinner that "every home has to be clean".

Citizen Digital quoted Bańka as saying: "Anti-doping is all about collaboration. We cannot achieve our mission if we do not collaborate."

KBC reported that Bańka was due to meet sports federations and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) on Tuesday 6 October, then address the media at 4:30 p.m. at the Kempinski Hotel. NOC-K hosted talks with Bańka at its offices on 6 October, Sports Monthly reported.