Julius Yego Calls for Harsh Punishment for Kenyan Drug Cheats Amid Ruth Chepngetich’s Doping Shame

Kenya’s javelin great Julius Yego has slammed the growing number of doping cases in Kenya as big-name athletes continue to be suspended and banned.

The country has continued to be in the wrong books of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) regularly announcing either a suspension or ban of a Kenyan athlete.

The latest big name to fall by the wayside was marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich, who was provisionally suspended this month, after banned substance diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was detected in a sample collected from her in March 2025.

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Yego says such athletes should not only be harshly punished but should not be allowed to compete again even if they complete their bans.

“Sad news always is to see a Kenyan athlete getting suspended but it does not worry me anymore because it has been with us and we are now able to detect and sanction athletes who are abusing the drugs and using shortcuts to achieve success,” Yego told Pulse Sports.

“If somebody has been caught, let that person exit the sport but let us talk to the young athletes to focus on proper training. When you have proper training, why should you add something to your body?” he posed.

“The energy you have is enough and if you want to use shortcuts, you won’t survive. The anti-doping agency is high-tech now, they can detect anything in your body and you will be banned.”

Yego has been one of the advocates of clean sports and feels Kenya has to tighten the noose on drug cheats while maintaining a strong message to young athletes not to be swayed by rogue managers and coaches.

Kenya remains in ‘Category A’ of WADA, which means they are among countries with the highest prevalence of doping cases, and are watched even more while athletes are subjected to a higher level of scrutiny and testing.