Kenya's Standard Group editor found dumped near dam after night abduction

What the report says

Kenyan journalist Alex Kiprotich, an associate editor with the Standard Group, was abducted on Tuesday night by armed, masked men along the Gilgil-Nakuru highway and later found safe after being dumped near Masinga Dam in Machakos County, according to Nile Post’s report based on the media house’s account. The incident unfolded shortly before 9:20pm while he was travelling toward Nakuru, when the attackers reportedly blocked his vehicle and forced him out.

The Standard Group said Kiprotich managed a brief distress call to the company’s head of security before his phone was switched off, prompting a night-long search involving colleagues and police. The break in the case came in the early hours of Wednesday, when the company received information that he had been abandoned in a thicket near the dam. A nearby family reportedly sheltered him, provided a phone, and stayed with him until the media house team arrived. He was later taken for medical checks and was described as shaken but safe.

Chief Executive Chaacha Mwita condemned the abduction and called for an investigation, saying the incident was disturbing in light of constitutional guarantees for media freedom in Kenya. The report also notes that Kiprotich had reportedly survived an earlier attempted abduction in Nakuru in June. The latest case has renewed concern about journalist safety and comes amid tensions between the Standard Group and President William Ruto’s administration. Nile Post also cited calls from political figures and KANU for a transparent investigation.