The Kenya Editors Guild led by Zubeda Kananu has demanded an independent investigation into the reported abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich, who was found safe near Masinga Dam after a night-long ordeal.
A journalist's routine drive to work turned into a night of terror this week, and now Kenya's media fraternity wants answers. The Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) has demanded a swift, transparent and independent investigation into the reported abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich, who was found safe near Masinga Dam early Wednesday morning after being missing for roughly nine hours.
What Happened
According to the Standard Group, Kiprotich was seized by armed men along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road shortly before 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday while travelling to Nakuru. Standard Group Editor-in-Chief John Bundotich, speaking at the recovery scene, said the newsroom got a call around that time reporting the incident, prompting the company to alert police in both Nakuru and Nairobi.
"We activated our security team to establish Alex's whereabouts, but his phone had been switched off. At around 3 a.m., we received information that he had been found in a thicket in Masinga, and we moved in to rescue him," Bundotich said.
He was eventually located near Masinga Dam in Machakos County, more than 200 kilometres from where he was reportedly seized, after taking refuge with a nearby family. A Standard Group team reached him at around 6:30 a.m. and described him as safe, though visibly shaken by the ordeal.
A Guild Demanding Full Accountability
In a statement obtained by Don Sami Live on Wednesday, the Kenya Editors Guild called the incident a disturbing escalation in what it described as ongoing intimidation and targeting of journalists in Kenya, warning that an attack on a journalist ultimately threatens media freedom and the public's right to know.
"We are calling for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kiprotich's reported abduction, as well as the earlier incident on June 27 when armed men allegedly attempted to intercept him while he was driving to work in Nakuru," the Guild said.
The Guild is also pressing for scrutiny of a separate, unverified claim: that the Standard Group's own investigations traced a Toyota Probox allegedly used in the June 27 incident to the National Police Service's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau. It's important to stress this remains an allegation raised by the Standard Group itself — it has not been independently confirmed, and no state agency has publicly responded to or accepted the claim at the time of writing.
The Guild wants anyone found responsible identified and prosecuted, "regardless of their position, rank or institutional affiliation," arguing that allegations of this gravity cannot be dismissed or left uninvestigated.
Not an Isolated Case, Guild Says
The Guild tied Kiprotich's ordeal to a broader pattern it says is emerging, also calling for a credible investigation into the reported assault of two Kisumu-based Agence France-Presse journalists, Fred Ooko and Brian Ongoro, who were allegedly attacked while covering a Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay Town.
Taken together, the Guild said, these incidents point to a troubling climate in which journalists are allegedly being beaten, threatened, harassed, pursued and abducted in the course of their work. The Guild invoked Article 34 of the Constitution, which guarantees media freedom and bars the State from interfering with those engaged in broadcasting, publishing and disseminating information.
"We call on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to exercise its oversight mandate and ensure that the investigations and any subsequent prosecutions are handled with the seriousness demanded by these allegations," the Guild said.
As it stands, the individuals behind Kiprotich's abduction have not been publicly identified, and investigations into both the September 1 incident and the earlier June 27 attempt remain ongoing. For now, Kenya's media community is watching closely to see whether this latest case gets the thorough, independent scrutiny the Guild is demanding.