A Distress Call at Night
The alarm was raised soon after 9 p.m. Alex Kiprotich had been taken. A distress call was received by a colleague. The Standard Group was then alerted.
The Associate Editor had reportedly been intercepted by armed men. He was travelling along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road.
Standard Group Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita said the response was immediate. A security team was sent out. Police stations in Nairobi and Nakuru were also alerted. The media house began reporting the incident.
The Search Intensifies
Kiprotich’s phone had been switched off. Contact with him was lost. That made the search harder. An anxious night followed.
Mwita said a breakthrough came at about 3 a.m. Information was received from the Masinga area. Kiprotich had reportedly been left in a thicket.
He later reached a nearby home for help. The family gave him shelter. A phone was also provided. He was then able to contact his colleagues.
A Standard Group team rushed to the area.
Found Safe Near Masinga
Mwita and his team arrived at about 6.30 a.m. Kiprotich was found alive. He was said to be safe. But he had been badly shaken. Mwita thanked the family that had helped him.
He also thanked those who joined the search.
“I am really, really sad and shocked by this act,” Mwita said.
He described the incident as deeply disturbing. The journalist had reportedly been taken more than 200 kilometres from where he was seized.
Questions Over Press Freedom
The incident has raised fresh concerns. Attention has turned to journalist safety. Mwita questioned the State’s role in protecting journalists. He also pointed to constitutional protections for the media.
The Kenya Editors Guild has demanded accountability. Amnesty International Kenya has sought an independent probe. No one has been publicly held responsible for the latest incident.
The circumstances remain under investigation.
A Second Reported Attack
Kiprotich had faced another reported incident in June. He escaped an attempted abduction in Nakuru.
The Standard Group later said the vehicle involved had been linked to officers attached to the National Police Service’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau in Nakuru.
That claim has not been established in court. The latest incident has now intensified calls for answers.
For journalists, the concern is larger than one case. It touches the wider freedom to report without fear. The investigation will now be watched closely.
Its findings are expected to clarify what happened.
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