The Standard Group has condemned the alleged abduction of its Associate Editor, Alex Kiprotich, along the Gilgil–Nakuru road on Tuesday night, demanding his immediate and safe release.
In a statement issued in Nairobi, Group Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita said Kiprotich was abducted shortly before 9:20pm while travelling to Nakuru. The company said his whereabouts remained unknown at the time of issuing the statement.
The Standard Group said Tuesday’s incident was the second time Kiprotich had been targeted in two months.
According to the company, armed men travelling in a Toyota Probox attempted to seize the journalist from his vehicle on June 27, 2026, as he drove to work in Nakuru. Kiprotich reportedly escaped by locking his vehicle and driving away.
The company claimed that its investigations into the June incident traced the vehicle to the National Police Service’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, but said no one had been held accountable.
“Tonight, that threat has been carried out,” the statement said.
The media house linked the latest incident to Kiprotich’s editorial work, particularly his reporting scrutinising the conduct of the State.
“We do not believe this is a coincidence,” the company said, describing the incident as having “all the hallmarks of a targeted attack on a journalist for doing his job.”
The Standard Group further alleged that the abduction could be linked to elements within the State seeking to intimidate the media organisation into silence.
The company said any such involvement would amount to an assault on constitutional protections of freedom of expression and the media under Articles 33 and 34 of the Constitution.
“We say this plainly and without equivocation: the Standard Group holds the State responsible for Alex Kiprotich’s safety and his life, and for anything that happens to him while he remains missing,” Mwita said.
The company has demanded the immediate, safe and unconditional release of Kiprotich, as well as a prompt, transparent and independent investigation into his alleged abduction.
It is also demanding an investigation into the June 27 incident and why no one has been held accountable.
The Standard Group has called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Media Council of Kenya (MCK), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and members of the public to join its demand for answers.
The media house said it would continue updating the public as more information becomes available and vowed not to allow the matter to “quietly fade from view.”
There was no immediate comment from the police. A police officer said no report had been made over the same claims.
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