© Copyright – 2025 – Athletics Illustrated
During the 13th century, the French developed a proverb, “Aucun feu n’est sans fumée, ni fumée sans feu.” In English it is commonly uttered as “Where there is smoke, there is fire.”
Speaking of smoke, Kenya has a very hot problem.
During the past decade, nearly 400 of its athletes have been suspended for doping-related offences.
Some turn up positive during in-competition testing, others have positive results out of competition. There are also suspensions for missing three tests in 12 months or simply having blood values that are anomalous to their benchmarks. These are recorded in their Athlete Biological Passport.
Kenya is not alone in doping
Other nations have had more positive tests but do not receive the attention or outrage that Kenya has, because Kenya makes champions.
Russia had state-sponsored doping. It was proven, and the nation has been on the outs from international competition since 2012. Currently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Athletics do not allow Russia to compete due to the war in Ukraine. But some may see that as a convenient excuse in place of the cumbersome legal process of attempting to continue the doping ban. Through the years, Russia has not demonstrated that its doping practices have changed. India has more athletes suspended than Kenya, but, like Russia, this is across many sports. In contrast, Kenya is a one-trick pony. The nation is the best at middle and long-distance running.
But, like India and unlike Russia, it is believed that Kenya’s doping issue is borne out of survival and not state-sponsorship. The third-world nation has rampant poverty. The most convenient way out is to compete in athletics. For Kenyans, they likely believe that everyone else cheats and that it is worth the risk. There is a notion that the IOC, World Athletics and individual events can chase athletes for prize money and appearance fees after pay out. This is a pipe dream. In some cases, it may be more expensive to go through the arduous process of getting back the money than it’s worth.
For Kenyans, one $5000 win is a year’s pay or more, $100,000 is a life-changing lottery win. Several wins in a row, and “Kip” becomes “King.”
It is alleged that acquiring banned performance-enhancing drugs in Kenya is easy. Walking up to a street-level pharmacy and purchasing PEDs has proven convenient when German journalist Hajo Seppelt acted undercover in Nairobi and purchased PEDs on hidden camera.
What are some of the common denominators?
Poverty and the lure of money, the convenience of purchasing PEDs, race directors who bend over backwards to bring in a Kenyan name to their event, complicit coaches, sports medical practisioners and agents.
Frederico Rosa is one agent whose name just keeps on popping up when athletes run remarkable times, test positive or both. Should he be investigated yet again? It has not been proven in any court that he is complicit, but where there is smoke, there may be fire.
In 2016, Kenyan police detained and investigated the Italian agent.
A court granted police time to investigate Rosa, who formerly represented Kenyan cheat Rita Jeptoo, the marathon champion who was, at the time, the highest profile of dozens of Kenyan athletes banned for doping.
Rosa appeared in court but was not charged. Senior principal magistrate Bernard Ochoi ordered Rosa to be held in custody for three days, despite protests from his lawyers, while police investigated further.
Who is Frederico Rosa?
Federico Rosa and his father, Gabriele, run the Rosa & Associati agency. They have a stable of African athletes, and several have tested positive. There was Asbel Kiprop, a three-time world champion and former Olympic champion in the 1,500 metres. Kiprop was suspended for doping.
Federico Rosa was accused of conspiracy to cause injuries to professional athletes through doping. Doping at that time (2016) had just become a criminal offence in Kenya. Other countries like the USA followed suit.
Despite a series of doping cases, Kenya was cleared by World Athletics, and Rosa was cleared by Athletics Kenya, from their respective investigations. The IOC warned that “substantial allegations” concerning doping exist against Kenya and asked for additional testing of its athletes across all sports. Years later, the Kenyan government put up $5 million annually, and the positive tests skyrocketed. In 2024, when the government reneged on the deal, the positive test results waned. But taken at least as an experiment, it illuminated the breadth and scope of doping in the small African nation.
Italian coach Claudio Berardelli, back in 2015-2016 (who previously worked for the Rosas and was Jeptoo’s former coach), was arrested in Eldoret, a high-altitude town in western Kenya. He was taken in for questioning.
At least three athletes represented by the Rosas, Jeptoo, Mathew Kisorio and Agatha Jeruto were banned for doping at that time.
Jeptoo was given a two-year ban after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO in an out-of-competition test in Kenya in 2014. Her suspension was lengthened later.
Jeptoo had “won” the Boston, Paris, Chicago, Stockholm and Milan marathons. She won Boston three times and Chicago twice, but was disqualified for her 2014 wins at Boston and Chicago due to the positive test.
In April 2015, Athletics Kenya suspended Rosa Associati, which was representing more than 30 world-class athletes. The purpose was to run a six-month doping investigation.
In November of that year, Emily Chebet, Joyce Zakary and Koki Manunga, who failed drug tests at the World Championships in Beijing in August, were suspended for four years. The names just kept dropping and continue in 2025 with marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich testing positive for a masking agent and banned diuretic. She could have been on a cocktail.
She tested positive for the presence and use of the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide.
Asbel Kiprop
Asbel Kiprop served a four-year drug ban for testing positive for EPO.
Of course, AK has a policy that prohibits athletes who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs from competing for Kenya. So, he was on the outs and ran into trouble. Specifically with his training partner’s wife, among other issues. His career ended in embarrassment.
Ironically, Kiprop was named the Olympic 1500m champion at the 2008 Beijing Games because the winner ended up being banned for doping. He finished sixth at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in a pedestrian 3:50.87; assumed to be off drugs at that point.
Some other Rosa Associati athletes
Some Rosa Associati athletes who have tested positive are Rita Jeptoo, Agatha Jeruto, Jemima Sumgong, Visiline Jepkesho, Purity Rionoripo, Sarah Chepchirchir, Elija Kiprono Boit, Mathew Kisorio, Asbel Kiprop, Thiago Braz (Brazil), and now Ruth Chepngetich.
Who could be next?
Recently, Beatrice Chebet, represented by Rosa Associati has performed, like Jeptoo and Chepngetich have, “out of this world-like.”
Chebet recently took the world record in the 5000m event, clocking the first ever sub-14-minute run by a woman. She was well-composed at the finish. It was as if she had been out for a cool-down run. It was an unearthly performance. Chebet ran 13:58.06 on July 5 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, OR.
She already ran sub-14 on the roads in 2024, recording a 13:54 performance in Barcelona. At last year’s Prefontaine Classic, the pint-sized athlete was the first woman under 29 minutes in the 10,000m event, having run a ridiculous 28:54.14.
Nothing to see here. And as far as the athletics world knows, she has not tested positive for PEDs.
She holds three world records and one African record and has won gold in the Olympics in 2024 in both the 5000m and 10,000m events. She is the World Cross Country champion.
One red flag will be raised if she conveniently misses scheduled races, out-of-competition tests, or her performances suddenly drop off.
While there is no evidence whatsoever of her doping, the Pebax rubber smokes when she runs and where there is smoke, there is fire.
