Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich has been found safe, ending a tense nine-hour search after he was reportedly abducted along the Gilgil–Nakuru Road on Tuesday night.
The Standard Group confirmed on Wednesday morning that Kiprotich was found near Masinga Dam, where he had reportedly been left by his abductors. The journalist was later taken in by a nearby family before a Standard Group team arrived to locate him.
According to The Standard, Kiprotich was found at about 2am, roughly nine hours after he was reportedly taken by armed men while travelling towards Nakuru. The media organisation said its team, led by Group Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita, located him at around 6.30am after receiving information about his whereabouts.
The journalist’s disappearance had sparked an overnight search involving his colleagues, family and members of the public.
Kiprotich reportedly made a brief call to the Standard Group’s head of security shortly before he went missing. The call ended abruptly after he said that he and others had been hijacked, according to The Standard.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. The identities of the people who allegedly took him, where he was held and why he was released have not been established.
The Standard Group has called for investigations into the incident.
Kiprotich’s recovery comes just over two months after he survived another reported attempt to seize him in Nakuru. The June incident involved armed men who allegedly tried to force him from his vehicle as he travelled to work. He managed to escape.
For now, the immediate concern is the journalist’s wellbeing. His safe recovery has brought relief to his colleagues and family after hours of uncertainty, while questions surrounding the latest incident remain unanswered.
Authorities are expected to establish what happened during the nine hours Kiprotich was missing and identify those responsible.
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