DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2018.v06i02.014

Pages: 372-382

A number of Kenyan athletes have tested positive for either medicinal or recreational drugs prohibited by WADA during competitions (IAAF, 2011). Such cases of doping portray Kenyan athletes as being largely ignorant of banned substances, doping test procedures and their rights and responsibilities. Studies to determine the athlete’s level of awareness of doping regulations stipulated by WADA is scanty. The recent statistics released by WADA and published by AK (2013) on the list of athletes serving a ban for doping indicated a drastic rise of Kenyan athletes in the list, from 4 in 2010/2011 to 17 in 2012/2013 representing an increase by 425%. The main aim of this study was to assess factors influencing the rising cases of doping among athletes in Kenya. Specifically, the study was set to establish effect of money in athletics, peer pressure, availability of doping drugs and drugs abuse legislation on the cases of doping in Kenya. The target population of the study was the 110 officials of Athletics Kenya spread over 10 regions in Kenya. The study used probabilistic sampling technique provided recommended by Bartlett and Kotrlik (1997). The study employed simple random sampling technique to randomly pick the 86 samples of the AK officials across the 10 regions in Kenya. To establish relationship between money in athletics, peer influence, availability of doping drugs and drug abuse legislation and cases of doping were measured using regression analysis. The study established that three factors to be the major ones contributing to the rising cases of doping; money in athletics, peer pressure and drugs abuse legislations.