Kenyan marathoner Albert Korir has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for a prohibited substance, CERA, in the latest doping case to hit the country’s athletics fraternity.

In a statement shared via X on Monday, January 12, 2026, the AIU confirmed that Korir had been sanctioned for the presence and use of the banned substance, which belongs to the erythropoietin (EPO) class of performance-enhancing drugs commonly associated with endurance sports.

The AIU has not yet disclosed the full details of Korir’s case, including the date and location of the test. Korir won the 2021 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:08:22.

The suspension comes barely four days after another Kenyan athlete, Alice Koigi, was handed a two-year ban for violating anti-doping rules.
Koigi, 34, was found to have used Methylprednisolone, a prohibited substance, following an in-competition test conducted at the Jakarta Running Festival in Indonesia on Sunday, October 26, 2025.

The AIU has provisionally suspended Albert Korir (Kenya) for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (CERA) pic.twitter.com/NoRFI4p1BQ

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) January 12, 2026

Alice Koigi suspended

According to the AIU, Koigi provided a urine sample during the event under the testing authority delegated by World Athletics. The sample, coded 1492190, was later analysed at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand.

On November 28, 2025, the laboratory reported an adverse analytical finding after detecting the presence of Methylprednisolone. Following a review in line with Article 5 of the International Standard for Results Management (ISRM), the AIU established that Koigi did not possess a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for the substance, that there were no procedural irregularities in the testing or laboratory processes, and that the substance was not ingested through a permitted route.

The athlete was formally notified of the findings on December 2, 2025, and informed of her rights, including requesting analysis of the B sample and accessing laboratory documentation.

A day later, Koigi responded to the AIU, stating that the only medications and products she had used prior to the race were those listed on her doping control form. She also disclosed that she received treatment for dehydration after the race, including intravenous infusions of sodium chloride and Ringer lactate, for which she later obtained a retroactive TUE.

Despite the explanation, the AIU proceeded to impose a two-year ban, effective Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Korir’s suspension now adds to growing concerns over doping violations involving Kenyan athletes, particularly in long-distance running, a discipline in which the country has traditionally dominated globally. Meanwhile, the Kenyan government has announced plans put in place to curb the doping menace among its athletes.