By Duncan Mackay

Matthew Kisorio is the most prominent Kenyan athlete to have tested positive for banned drugs ©AFP/Getty ImagesFebruary 4 - A special taskforce set-up in November to investigate whether Kenyan athletes are involved in doping is on the verge of disbanding because the chairman claims it has run out of money. 


Moni Wekesa, a professor at the Mount Kenya University Law School in Nairobi, had been appointed by Hussein Wario, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Art and Culture, to oversee the work. 

The 12-man commission was given Sh4.5 million (£32,000/$55,000/€38,000) by the Government and given 60 days to complete their investigation.

But Wekesa has claimed that they do not have enough financial resources to complete the task they were charged with. 

He claimed that he had warned the Government that the taskforce was underfunded before they even started and is demanding another Sh18 million (£127,000/$208,000/€154,000).

"Our mandate was to last 60 days - expiring on January 11 -  but we have done just 23 days and presented a preliminary report to the Government," Wekesa told The Standard in Nairobi.

"We have also asked them to release more money to us so we can complete the remaining work.

"So far, we have managed to have two meetings with the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Sports but he has categorically stated that there is no more money for us.

"Without increasing our financial allocation it will be almost impossible to go on with the work."

More than 900 Kenyan athletes have provided samples of medication they are taking to the anti-doping taskforce, which now claims it has run out of money ©AFP/Getty ImagesMore than 900 Kenyan athletes have provided samples of medication they are taking to the anti-doping taskforce, which now claims it has run out of money ©AFP/Getty Images

The panel has been set-up after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) asked Kenya to investigate after an undercover German television journalist reported that the blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO) and other doping products, including anabolic steroids, were readily available to local athletes.

The panel has held meeting in Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kapsabet, Iten and Mombasa and has interviewed more than 100 people as well as contacting 918 Kenyan runners to take samples of dietary supplements they claim to be taking.

Since January 2012, a total of 17 athletes have tested positive for banned drugs, a raise that has coincided with increased testing both in and out of competition.

The most high-profile athlete to have tested positive is Matthew Kisorio, who finished fourth at the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain.

Wekesa warned that the consequences could be dire unless Kenya can restore trust in its athletes. 

"The whole world is waiting for this report because in it we are supposed to make recommendations on how to stop the vice if indeed it exists," he said. 

"Without it, local athletes are likely to be locked out of major international events."

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