Kenya, kidnapped journalist found safe

NAIROBI – Journalist Alex Kiprotich, deputy director at the Standard Group editorial group, was kidnapped on the evening of September 1 on the Gilgil-Nakuru road and released a few hours later near a dam more than 200 kilometers from the place of the abduction. This was reported by the editorial group itself in a note, stating that Kiprotich is fine but “shaken” by the kidnapping he endured.

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The journalist had tried to warn the security of his editorial group with a phone call to the manager Tom Kypiegon, saying he had been “hijacked” before the communication was cut off. The episode has reignited controversy over the crackdown on press freedom and political dissent attributed by activists and organizations to state authorities, in a crescendo intensified by the anti-government protests of 2024 and ahead of the return to the polls in 2027.

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In the reconstruction published by the Standard, the group’s daily newspaper, Kiprotich was taken by four “masked” men armed with AK-47 assault rifles. The kidnappers were traveling in a Subaru that later turned out to be “a government vehicle,” the Standard claims, adding that the journalist answered questions about the sources of the articles and the choice of the newspaper’s headlines. The Standard expresses a critical stance towards William Ruto’s government and often publishes investigations on the Kenyan establishment, a characteristic feature of what is considered one of the most vibrant and pressing media landscapes on the continent. The CEO of the Standard Group, Chaacha Mwita, told Reuters that Kiprotich had already escaped an attempt of arrest by armed men in June and that both incidents can be linked to his journalistic work.

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