The Kenya African National Union (KANU) has called for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the reported abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich, saying anyone found responsible should be identified and prosecuted. KANU Secretary General George Wainaina issued the demand on Wednesday, September 2, shortly after Kiprotich was found safe near Masinga Dam in Machakos County, following an overnight ordeal after he was intercepted along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road.
Wainaina described the incident as “brazen and disturbing” and said the latest case should not be treated as an isolated occurrence because Kiprotich had also survived an attempted abduction in June. KANU wants the two incidents investigated to establish whether they are connected and whether the same individuals or networks were involved.
“This is not an isolated incident that can be dismissed with the usual assurances and expressions of concern,” Wainaina said, according to People Daily.
KANU said Kiprotich had reported the June incident at Menengai Police Station, but questioned why those behind the alleged attempt had not been identified. The party said any investigation should be independent and should lead to prosecution where evidence establishes criminal responsibility.
The Standard Group reported that Kiprotich was abducted at about 9:20pm on Tuesday by armed men while travelling along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road. He was later found at about 2am on Wednesday, approximately nine hours after he was taken, and dumped about 10 metres from Masinga Dam. The journalist sought refuge at a nearby household before a Standard Group team led by Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita located him at around 6:30am. The media organisation said Kiprotich was safe but visibly shaken after the ordeal. He was subsequently taken for medical checks. The circumstances of the abduction remain under investigation. The Standard Group has said Kiprotich was taken by armed men, while reports based on his account indicate that the group questioned him during his captivity about the media house’s editorial operations and its reporting. Those details remain accounts attributed to Kiprotich and have not been independently established through a completed investigation.
KANU’s call for a wider investigation follows an earlier reported incident on June 27, when armed men allegedly attempted to force Kiprotich from his vehicle as he travelled to work in Nakuru.
According to reports from the Committee to Protect Journalists, Kiprotich said three men in plain clothes, armed with AK-47 rifles, intercepted his vehicle and attempted to open the doors. He managed to lock himself inside and drive away before reporting the incident to police. The Standard Group later said its own investigations had traced the vehicle used in the June incident to the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau of the National Police Service. That claim has not been established by a court and no individual has been publicly convicted over the incident. The earlier incident had already attracted the attention of press-freedom organisations. CPJ called for an investigation after noting that it occurred days after President William Ruto publicly criticised The Standard Group over its reporting.
KANU’s demand comes as the Kenya Editors Guild separately calls for an independent investigation into Kiprotich’s reported abduction. Guild President Zubeidah Kananu said the investigation should cover both the latest incident and the June 27 attempt.
The latest incident has generated additional scrutiny because of claims surrounding the identity of the people who took Kiprotich. The Standard Group has reported that Kiprotich told colleagues that four masked men armed with AK-47 rifles took him away in a Subaru bearing registration KDC 125E, which the media house said its checks showed was a government vehicle fitted with a siren. The journalist also reportedly said the vehicle passed through roadblocks without being stopped. These details have prompted calls for investigators to establish whether security personnel were involved. However, police involvement remains an allegation and has not been established as fact.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission has separately called for the arrest and prosecution of officers it alleges were responsible, while other organisations have demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances of the abduction. Kiprotich’s safe recovery has ended the immediate concern over his whereabouts, but it has not resolved the questions surrounding his disappearance. Investigators will need to establish who intercepted the journalist, where he was held for about nine hours, why he was targeted and whether the latest incident is connected to the June attempt.