According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the African nation has 55 athletes serving bans - the third most behind Russia (102) and India (61) - currently and is categorised as one of the seven "Category A" nations threatening the overall integrity of the sport.

In the last week of November, Athletics Kenya evaded a lengthy ban from World Athletics after the Government acted promptly, committing $25 million (£20.5 million/€23.7 million) to fight doping.

However, Namwamba has stressed that Kenya needs to crack down on doping the same way the Government deals with narcotics.

"Right now, the Kenya Anti-Doping Act of 2016 is not, in my view, sufficiently loaded to deal with this challenge with the force required," Namwamba was quoted as saying by BBC Sport Africa.

"Our initial investigations are that you have a very complex underground syndicate [involved in doping in athletics].

"It involves agents, coaches and doctors so it will need multiple instruments to be deployed to dismantle that syndicate.

"I believe we need to criminalise doping and elevate handling of doping substances to the same level [as] narcotics.

"So in the same way we deal with drug traffickers, we should deal similarly with those engaged in this practice."

During a World Athletics Council meeting in Rome in November, its President Sebastian Coe said that Kenya is facing "a long journey" to regain trust of the International Federation.

However, Coe told BBC Sport Africa that the nation will not be banned like Russia.

Russia has been banned as a nation from World Athletics events since 2015.

"They weren't going to be banned because unlike the Russian situation, which we've been dealing with for the last seven years, there is no obvious evidence that this is state-sponsored or state-secured," Coe said.

"The challenge in Kenya is difficult and chaotic.

"The one thing that I'm optimistic about is from the very highest level of government through all the stakeholders that you would want on board - like the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, Athletics Kenya, the athletes themselves - there is a real determination to try and resolve this."

The East African nation had previously tried to criminalise doping with former athlete and Member of Parliament Wesley Korir having a motion rejected in 2016.

The proposal to amend the rules of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) was rejected as it was against the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) code of criminalisation.

But Namwamba is hoping to "have a conversation" with WADA to ensure there are no problems this time.

"I believe doctors, agents and coaches are primary offenders and athletes are secondary offenders," he said.

"And so I believe we can work out something that would satisfy the concerns of Wada in terms of classification of offences and offenders and the action appropriate for each cluster of offenders."

"I believe that I'll convince parliament on the seriousness of this matter.

"What is at stake is beyond merely the fate of an athlete.

"What is at stake is the national brand and a whole economy that revolves around athletics, and it's a huge economy.

"Many members of parliament represent constituencies whose economies are driven by athletics money or talent.

"They wouldn't want to compromise that.

"I want to have a very candid conversation with parliament.

"I believe parliament will buy into this novel agenda of rescuing Kenya's image."

Namwamba recently helped overturn a FIFA ban on the nation’s football body and is also hoping to resolve a pay dispute in Kenyan rugby.

WADA acknowledged that countries that have introduced criminal legislations for doping has been successful in catching doping offences and will support Governments trying to penalise those are trafficking banned performance-enhancing substances.

Coe, meanwhile, said he has no problems with "criminalising the trafficking of these substances" but pointed out that criminalising athletes can be "very complicated".