The proposed Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Eldoret research centre will officially be launched on Thursday.
The proposed Sports Science Research Centre that would also house the country’s anti-doping laboratory in Eldoret will be launched by Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha.
Kemri and Uasin Gishu county government have been working on modalities that will see the establishment of an Anti-doping facility in the county.
The centre is designed to prioritise sports health research including comprehensive analysis of biological passports, factors associated with anti-doping testing, nutrition and sports injuries and will also serve as the Rift Valley regional station for research activities for the Institute.
Kemri in January said that the Uasin Gishu county government had already earmarked a site for the facility in Eldoret.
The facility, according to the Ministry of Health will serve as a hub for athlete sample testing and a homegrown platform for other research.
“The centre aims to eliminate the need to send samples out of the country, making the process more efficient and timelier,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The 15th Kemri research centre is poised to evolve into a fully-fledged facility that will be dedicated to comprehensively addressing the well-being of our athletes through a spectrum of holistic research studies.”
The studies will include sports medicine and medical research components specifically targeting nutrition research, social and mental health research, clinical health aspects as well as the provision of laboratory services.