NAIROBI — Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich has been found safe after being abducted by armed men along the Gilgil–Nakuru highway on Tuesday night, in an incident that has sparked renewed concerns over press freedom and the safety of journalists in Kenya.
Kiprotich was discovered at around 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday after his captors abandoned him in a thicket approximately 10 metres from Masinga Dam in Machakos County—hundreds of kilometres from where he had been seized. Visibly shaken, he sought refuge at a nearby homestead before a search team from The Standard located and reunited with him at around 6:30 a.m.
The Abduction
The ordeal began shortly before 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, when Kiprotich managed to make a frantic phone call to The Standard Group's Head of Security, Tom Kipyegon.
"Tom, we have been hijacked! We have been hijacked at Gilgil!" he shouted before the line abruptly went dead.
According to Kiprotich, four masked men armed with AK-47 rifles intercepted his vehicle using a white Subaru Forester bearing registration KDC 125E and fitted with a siren. A subsequent vehicle registration check reportedly showed that the number plate belongs to a government entity.
Kiprotich further said the vehicle carrying him was waved through several police roadblocks without being stopped or questioned.
During his captivity, the abductors questioned him extensively about The Standard's editorial processes. They sought information on how the newspaper sources its investigative stories, how editorial decisions and headlines are made, and whether the media house's major shareholder, Gideon Moi, receives political visitors at his Kabarak home.
While some of the men aggressively interrogated him, others attempted to reassure him, reportedly telling him, "Ni mambo ya serikali" ("It is a government matter").
Second Attempt in Three Months
The latest incident is the second apparent attempt to target Kiprotich in just over two months.
On June 27, 2026, armed men driving a Toyota Probox allegedly attempted to abduct him while he was on his way to work in Nakuru. He escaped by locking his vehicle and speeding away.
The earlier incident occurred shortly after President William Ruto publicly criticized The Standard over its reporting on his administration, raising concerns among media stakeholders about increasing pressure on independent journalism.
Growing Concerns Over Press Freedom
The Standard Group has described the latest abduction as a deliberate act of intimidation linked to Kiprotich's investigative reporting and has called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The incident has triggered widespread condemnation from journalists, civil society organizations, and press freedom advocates, who say it reflects an increasingly hostile environment for media practitioners.
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and other rights organizations have called for an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation to identify both the perpetrators and anyone who may have ordered the abduction. They warned that the brazen nature of the highway interception underscores a growing climate of impunity and poses a serious threat to press freedom in Kenya.
Police had not issued a formal public statement on the incident or the status of investigations by the time of publication.