KENYA – The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), has launched the Eldoret Sports Science Centre to deliver on the country’s promise to make the country doping-free and the zenith of sports medicine in Africa.
This comes on the heels of the institute launching its Center of Excellence in Stem Cell Research, established at Nairobi- based Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development to serve not only local needs in stem cell research but the regions as well.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health Nakhumicha inaugurated the Sports Science Research Centre (SSRC) which is being described as a momentous occasion not just for the Institute, but for the whole country and especially for the sporting fraternity within the region.
The establishment of the SSRC is a significant stride towards enhancing sports health and combating doping challenges, becoming the first in the Eastern Africa region to offer an anti-doping laboratory.
The center holds the promise to evolve into a fully-fledged anti-doping laboratory, safeguarding the integrity of sports and athletes’ careers.
Cabinet Secretary Nakhumicha emphasized the center’s potential to become a beacon of excellence in sports health and anti-doping research, marking a pivotal moment in Kenya’s commitment to clean and thriving athletics.
Stakeholders in attendance acknowledged the efforts of KEMRI and the Uasin Gishu county government, who have been working on modalities that would see the establishment of an anti-doping facility in the county.
Currently, urine samples collected from Kenyan athletes are taken to either Germany’s Institute of Biochemistry – German Sport University Cologne or the South African Doping Control Laboratory in Bloemfontein.
The center is also designed to prioritize sports health research including comprehensive analysis of biological passports, factors associated with anti-doping testing, nutrition, and sports injuries, and will also serve as the Rift Valley regional station for research activities for the Institute.
The facility, according to the Ministry of Health will serve as a hub for athlete sample testing and a homegrown platform for other research.
“The center aims to eliminate the need to send samples out of the country, making the process more efficient and timelier,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The 15th Kemri research center is poised to evolve into a fully-fledged facility that will be dedicated to comprehensively addressing the well-being of our athletes through a spectrum of holistic research studies, ”the statement continued.
The studies will include sports medicine and medical research components specifically targeting nutrition research, social and mental health research, clinical health aspects as well as the provision of laboratory services.
Also in July, KEMRI held an inaugural stakeholder engagement with the sports fraternity in Kenya on the proposed formation of another Sports Science Research Centrey at Maanzoni, Machakos County.
The engagement was attended by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, Athletics Kenya, Athletics Coaches, and current and former international athletes. AK President, Gen. Jackson Tuwei and KEMRI Ag. DG, Prof. Elijah Songok.
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