Kenyan editor found safe after abduction, employer says

By Monicah Mwangi

NAIROBI, Sept 2 (Reuters) – An editor of one of Kenya’s largest media groups was abducted by armed men and released hours later at the edge of a dam more than 200 km (125 miles) away, his employer said on Wednesday. 

Alex Kiprotich, an associate editor at Standard Group, was taken from a car near the city of Nakuru shortly before 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.

Dashcam footage shared by Standard Group appeared to show four armed, masked men emerging from a vehicle parked on a busy road. Screams could be heard from the car carrying Kiprotich.

He was dumped near the Masinga Dam more than 200 km southeast of Nakuru, where he was found safe, the company said in a statement, without providing further details of his condition or the circumstances of his release.

Looking shaken, Kiprotich appeared at a press conference in Nairobi on Wednesday but did not speak. Standard Group’s Chief Executive Chaacha Mwita told reporters the abductors had demanded that he reveal the newspaper’s sources.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called for an investigation into the abduction. Police said they had opened an investigation, but also accused the newspaper of seeking to “undermine public confidence in the police” with its reporting.

Dozens of government critics and activists have been reported abducted or missing in Kenya since anti-government demonstrations in June 2024.

Human rights groups have accused state security agencies of being responsible. Government officials have denied the allegations, although President William Ruto said in June there had been instances of excessive and extrajudicial conduct by members of the security services.

The Standard newspaper, owned by Standard Group, has been critical of Ruto’s government, accusing it of enabling corruption and police brutality. Ruto has accused The Standard of running “extortionist propaganda headlines”. 

Mwita, the Standard Group CEO, said Kiprotich had escaped an earlier attempt by armed men to seize him in June and that both incidents were linked to his work as a journalist. 

“This is a really sad thing to happen in a country like Kenya that says it is free and respects the freedom of the media and journalists to do their work,” Mwita said.

Police said 262 cases involving officers accused of misconduct were pending before the courts and that 42 officers had been convicted since the establishment of a police oversight body.

Ruto’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

(additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by George Obulutsa, Timothy Heritage, Ros Russell)