Police Hunt Pharmacist Accused of Administering Banned Substances to Top Athletes

Police have launched a manhunt for a Kenyan pharmacist suspected of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to athletes in the Rift Valley.

James Cheruiyot Kipsanai narrowly escaped from authorities last Thursday in Eldoret, as reported by the Daily Nation.

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Fugitive pharmacist accused of fueling Kenya’s doping crisis escapes dramatic police raid in Eldoret

Kipsanai, who has been on the radar of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) since January 2024, is now a wanted man after fleeing from his pharmacy during a joint sting operation.

“The case became complicated with no concrete evidence to pin the suspect who was released on a police bond as we continued to build the case,” Adak Senior Compliance Officer Dennis Keitany told the publication.

According to Keitany, Kipsanai previously ran a pharmacy in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet, before relocating to Kapsoya, Eldoret, where he reopened under the same name—Kerich Pharmacy.

Investigators link banned substances and unlicensed medical operations to pharmacist aiding elite Rift Valley athletes.

He was first arrested at his Iten outlet in January 2024 following a tip-off that he was treating athletes with banned substances.

Authorities say Kipsanai had stocked the powerful corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonid which is a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2014.

Despite the initial arrest and subsequent closure of the Iten pharmacy, the suspect resurfaced in Eldoret where he continued operations until last week’s escape.

“Kerich Pharmacy that was closed by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Kapsoya, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu on Thursday last week,” Keitany confirmed.

On the day of the raid, Kipsanai locked himself inside the building after officers identified themselves.

He managed to flee through the ceiling before the multi-agency team forced entry. Inside, they found numerous used vials of banned drugs including erythropoietin and triamcinolone acetonide.

Chief Inspector Philip Langat from the DCI affirmed that new charges would be pursued following this latest incident.

“We shall process fresh charges through similar findings involving the same person in different counties. We already have a court case in Elgeyo Marakwet, and now this one in Uasin Gishu,” said Langat

He was also found to be offering medical services without proper registration and failed to log controlled substances such as Sustanon.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on January 15 after he failed to appear in court in Iten.