At least 20 Kenyan international athletes have been found guilty of age cheating following investigations by World Athletics and Athletics Kenya (AK) dating back to 2016, raising fresh concerns over governance and integrity in the country’s junior athletics system.
Athletics Kenya has provisionally suspended the affected athletes from competing as it awaits guidance from World Athletics, citing the absence of local regulations to handle age-cheating offences. According to AK Youth and Development Committee secretary Joseph Ilovi, a total of 60 athletes were investigated, 25 were cleared, 15 cases remain pending, while 20 were found culpable.
“Those found guilty have been suspended from competing locally. We are now waiting for World Athletics to advise us on how to proceed,” said Ilovi.
Investigations revealed widespread age manipulation, particularly at the secondary school level, with teachers and coaches implicated in falsifying birth records to enable athletes to compete in junior categories. Athletics Kenya has identified ten schools suspected of involvement and is seeking consultations with the Ministry of Education and other government agencies to determine appropriate sanctions.
“Some athletes had their ages altered without their parents’ consent. We will be pushing for stiff penalties against the teachers and coaches involved,” Ilovi said.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, during a visit to Kenya in March last year, warned that athletes found guilty of age cheating would be stripped of their medals and titles and could face lengthy bans. He also cautioned that Kenya’s participation in global junior competitions would be subjected to heightened scrutiny.
Several athletes implicated in the investigations were medallists at the Africa Under-20 and Under-18 Championships in Nigeria, while others had earlier been dropped from Team Kenya ahead of the World Under-20 Championships in Peru. Some of those found guilty are now competing at senior level, with a number having secured scholarships to universities in the United States.
Ilovi noted that the problem extends beyond Kenya, with Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa also on World Athletics’ radar over age cheating. He added that discrepancies in age documentation have already affected participation at recent international events.
Athletics Kenya has declined to publish the names of the athletes involved, arguing that neither AK nor the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya has legal provisions governing age cheating.
“We shall only publish their names once World Athletics announces what action should be taken,” said Ilovi.
As World Athletics prepares to issue its directive, the revelations have placed Kenyan athletics under intense international scrutiny, with the outcome expected to have far-reaching consequences for athletes, schools and sports administrators alike.
