For long Kenya has been hailed as one of the world’s athletics powerhouse with several runners from the high altitude East African nation holding records in long distance races.

But this legacy in now under threat from a growing doping menace among the country’s young athletes.

Last week, Athletics Kenya chief executive officer, Isaac Mwangi, was banned by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Ethics commission for six months over allegations of interfering in anti-doping investigations that have hit Kenyan athletics since last year.

This comes in the wake of two key events that are threatening to destroy Kenya’s hard-earned reputation as a global athletics giant.

Kenya failed to meet a deadline in proving to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), that it has put in measures to address the rife allegations of doping, and has now been placed on a ‘watch-list among other nations that are in near-breach of the anti-doping code.

More than 40 Kenyan athletes have been banned for doping by WADA.

Rita Jeptoo, title holder of the Chicago and Boston Marathon, , 400 meters runner Joyce Zakari and renowned road runner Mathew Kisorio were among other Kenyan athletes handed heavy bans by IAAF last year after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

Kenya risks a ban like Russia, if it will not prove to the anti-doping agency that it is putting in legislation, funding and other steps to fight cheating in athletics, before the end of May.

This has come at a worse time as the nation prepares for the Rio Olympic Games set for August, this year.

Russia, another athletics giant was banned from all international athletics competitions after massive revelations of doping among its athletics, late last year.

From the days of track legends, Kipchoge Keino, Ben Jipcho, Paul Tergat, Catherine Ndereba and Tegla Loroupe among others, Kenya has been a global athletics giant, with unprecedented success in the Olympics, World Athletics championships and other IAAF-accredited competitions.

Kenyan athletes are star attractions at global events and renowned athletes like Britain’s Mo Farah and female marathoner Paula Radcliffe have in recent times pitched camp at the Iten High Altitude Training Camp.

High altitude training camps in areas like Ngong Hills, Nyandarua and Eldoret have seen world class hotels setup to accommodate global stars. This has been a key employer to thousands of in the country

The possibility of joining Russia as a pariah nation in global athletics will destroy one of Kenya’s trademark sports and probably hurt the economy.