Stephen Ndangiri Kihu went from a difficult start to a historic breakthrough at the Commonwealth Games in just months. After finishing 42nd at the World Race Walking Team Championships, the 20-year-old bounced back with African Championships silver. Soon after, he became the first Kenyan to win silver in the 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games on July 31 in Glasgow. While he was still enjoying the biggest victory of his career, just five days later, he was provisionally suspended over an alleged doping violation.

On August 5, 2026, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya provisionally suspended Kihu over the alleged presence of a prohibited substance. The official ADAK charge lists: “Presence of Prohibited substance S2. Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics/erythropoietin (EPO).”

The sample in the case, however, was taken on June 30, well before his historic performance in Glasgow, according to The Nation. It was an out-of-competition test that took place at Team Kenya’s residential training camp at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, before the Glasgow Games.

This ban also came at a crucial time in the season. He started 2026 in April at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília, where he placed 42nd in the marathon race walk in 3:36:04. Just over a month later, he produced a much stronger performance at the African Championships in Accra by clocking 1:20:01 to win silver in the men’s 20km race walk.

The result gave Kihu confidence as he continued his push for a place on Kenya’s Commonwealth Games team. His next major test came at the national trials on June 19, where he faced experienced Kenyan race walker Samuel Gathimba at Nyayo Stadium. Kihu delivered when it mattered, winning the 10,000m race walk in 39:14.0 and finishing ahead of Gathimba. The victory secured his place on Kenya’s Commonwealth Games team and gave him another boost heading into Glasgow.

Then came the biggest performance of his career. On July 31, Kihu lined up in the men’s 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and produced a performance that made Kenyan athletics history. He clocked 38:46.57 to win silver behind Australia’s 19-year-old Isaac Beacroft, who took gold in 38:45.51.

Kihu’s time also broke the Kenyan national record of 39:23.14, which had been set by Gathimba at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. But then, the breakthrough was followed by a doping allegation. However, Kihu has not been found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation. He remains entitled to challenge the allegation through the established process.

If he is ultimately found guilty, he could face a ban of up to four years. The sanction could potentially be reduced if he cooperates with ADAK, including by providing information about the source of the prohibited substance. What’s more, Ndangiri Kihu is not the only Kenyan athletics athlete who was banned recently.

Kibiwott Kandie’s seven-year doping ban

In June 2026, Kibiwott Kandie received a seven-year ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit. Kandie is no stranger to the athletic world. He won global fame in 2020 with a world record of 57:32 in Valencia in the half marathon. That record has since been surpassed, but it is still one of the fastest half marathons ever recorded.

He also won silver at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships and later claimed bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. But Kandie’s case was very different from Kihu’s.

The AIU did not find Kandie guilty of testing positive for EPO, but he was found to have committed two anti-doping rule violations involving the doping control process. The first was a failure to provide a sample on March 1, 2025, and the second was tampering with the doping-control process.

A provisional suspension of Kandie was issued on March 14, 2025, after the declined March 1 test. The AIU gave him a formal notice of charge just days before he admitted to the violations on May 26, 2025. His initial admission saw him waive an eight-year period of ineligibility, but with an early admission, he got one year cut off. Hence, the final punishment was given as 7 years.