Kenyan national 400m record holder Mercy Oketch is among four athletes provisionally suspended by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) over alleged anti-doping rule violations.
The agency's latest register, updated on Thursday, November 5, 2026, lists Oketch alongside distance runners Justus Muasya, Shadrack Kenduiywo Kipkurui and Lameck Kibiwott Too.
According to the register, Oketch and Muasya were provisionally suspended on October 26, while Kenduiywo and Too received their suspensions on November 4.
Oketch, whose official name appears in the register as Mercy Adongo Okech, is facing allegations involving the presence of two prohibited substances: trimetazidine, classified under hormone and metabolic modulators, and furosemide, listed under diuretics and masking agents.
Muasya and Kenduiywo are listed over the presence of erythropoietin (EPO), while Kibiwott Too's case involves methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta, commonly known as CERA.
EPO and CERA stimulate the production of red blood cells, increasing the blood's capacity to transport oxygen. Trimetazidine is a medication used to treat certain heart conditions, while furosemide is a diuretic that increases urine production and is prohibited in sport partly because it can be used to mask other substances.
Oketch's suspension comes after an impressive period in her athletics career, during which she established herself as one of Kenya's leading 400m runners.
The 24-year-old set the national outdoor 400m record with a time of 50.14 seconds at the 2025 Kip Keino Classic, breaking the previous mark.
She also set Kenya's indoor 400m record of 51.25 seconds at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, in March 2026.
Her suspension is another setback for Kenyan athletics, which has faced several doping cases involving athletes across different disciplines.
Under anti-doping regulations, a provisional suspension prevents an athlete from competing while their case is being considered. However, it does not constitute a final determination of an anti-doping rule violation.
The four athletes will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations through the established anti-doping process. ADAK's register does not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the alleged violations or indicate that final decisions have been reached.
