Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling age cheating in Kenyan athletics, emphasizing its negative impact on the country’s global reputation.
Speaking during the National Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Mvurya described age falsification as a stain on Kenya’s status as an athletics powerhouse, calling for its complete eradication.
“The issue of falsifying age must be dealt with so that Kenya continues to lead the world in athletics with integrity,” he stated.
Concerns over age cheating were first raised by Athletics Kenya (AK) President Jack Tuwei in July last year. He noted a growing trend of athletes presenting forged identification documents, particularly in age-category competitions.
To address the issue, AK has been collaborating with government agencies, including the National Registration Bureau (NRB), to verify athletes’ credentials and prevent fraudulent entries.
Beyond age cheating, Mvurya also expressed concern over doping, a persistent challenge in Kenyan athletics. Kenya remains in World Athletics’ Category A watchlist due to frequent doping violations among its athletes.
The CS urged athletes to uphold integrity, stressing that success should be achieved through fair competition.
“I encourage our athletes to maintain honesty in their careers. As a government, we will intensify the fight against doping to ensure Kenyan athletes compete and win clean,” he said.
Mvurya also affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting holiday training camps, which have been instrumental in nurturing young talent. He acknowledged the camps’ role in producing medal-winning athletes at the World Under-20 Championships and pledged further investment in their expansion.
“In recent years, we have worked closely with Athletics Kenya and other stakeholders to establish holiday training camps across the country. Given their proven success, we intend to strengthen these programs to solidify Kenya’s legacy in athletics,” he noted.
Mvurya made these remarks at the National Cross Country Championships, the final major cross-country event before the track and field season begins.
The first leg of the Athletics Kenya (AK) Track and Field Weekend Meeting is set to take place next month at the Mumias Sports Complex in Kakamega County.
