Two more Kenyans bite the dust as AIU cracks down on doping

Kenyan marathoner Matthew Samperu has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for a prohibited substance, further adding to Kenya’s growing list of doping cases.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news

Samperu topped the latest AIU sanctions list released on Monday, 26 January, after being cited for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance, Testosterone.

The 31-year-old is currently ranked 247th in the men’s marathon according to World Athletics, and was born on 1 July 1993.

His most notable recent performances include a 1:00.27 finish at the Istanbul Half Marathon on 28 April 2024.

In February 2025, he competed at the Zurich Maratón Sevilla in Spain, clocking a season-best 2:07.25 in the full marathon. He later returned to Istanbul for the half-marathon, finishing in 1:01.32.

Athletics Kenya cancel World Indoor Championship qualifiers

Samperu has also featured in several track and road races over the years.

He ran the 10,000m at the 2022 Kip Keino Classic, posting a time of 28:56.07, and in May 2023, he finished the Okpekpe 10km Road Race in Nigeria in 29:35. In June 2022, he finished on the podium at the Moonlight Half Marathon, timing 1:04.58.

Meanwhile, the AIU has handed a lengthy ban to another Kenyan athlete, Brian Limo, following multiple anti-doping rule violations.

Limo has been banned for five years, effective from 25 November 2025, for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Salbutamol), and for tampering or Attempted Tampering with any part of Doping Control. All his results from 5 April 2025 have also been disqualified.

According to the AIU, Limo provided an in-competition urine sample during the Drammen 10K–5K event in Norway on 5 April 2025.

Analysis conducted by a WADA-accredited laboratory in Oslo revealed Salbutamol levels exceeding the permitted threshold of 1000ng/mL.

“We blame the athletes, but it is all of us” – Kipchoge weighs in on Kenya's doping crisis

The AIU established that Limo did not have a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), and that there were no procedural irregularities that could have caused the adverse analytical finding.

After being notified of the violation, Limo submitted medical documents claiming he had been prescribed Salbutamol for respiratory symptoms.

However, the AIU identified inconsistencies in the documents and launched an investigation, working with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) and independent experts.

Subsequent findings confirmed that the medical documents were falsified.

During an interview with AIU officials on 2 July 2025, Limo admitted that he had not visited the medical facility on the claimed date, was not prescribed Salbutamol, and knowingly submitted false documents in an attempt to explain the positive test.

Faith Kipyegon commissions community project aimed at saving lives

As a result, the AIU charged Limo with violations relating to the presence and use of a prohibited substance, as well as tampering.

He later signed an admission of anti-doping rule violations and acceptance of consequences form on 31 December 2025, leading to a combined five-year period of ineligibility.