5 hrs ago
Kenyan Editor Found Safe Hours After Armed Abduction
Alex Kiprotich is a newspaper editor in Kenya.
Armed and masked men took him from a car near Nakuru on Tuesday night.
His employer said he was found safe hours later near Masinga Dam, far away.
Video appeared to show four men getting out of a vehicle during the incident.
People could hear screams from the car.
The company said the abduction may have been connected to Kiprotich’s work as a journalist.
It also said armed men had tried to take him in June.
Police did not immediately comment.
Kenyan officials have denied accusations that state security agencies are behind similar disappearances, although the president has acknowledged excessive and extrajudicial actions by some security personnel.
Alex Kiprotich, an associate editor at Standard Group, was taken from a car near Nakuru shortly before 9:20 p.m. Tuesday.
Standard Group said armed men abducted Kiprotich and later left him near Masinga Dam, more than 200 kilometers away.
Dashcam footage appeared to show four armed, masked men emerging from a vehicle, with screams heard from the car.
Standard Group CEO Chaacha Mwita said the incident was linked to Kiprotich’s journalism and followed an earlier attempted seizure in June.
Kenyan authorities did not immediately comment, while officials have denied broader allegations that state security agencies abduct critics and activists.
- Who
- Alex Kiprotich, an associate editor for Standard Group, was abducted and later found safe.
- What
- He was taken by armed men and released or left near Masinga Dam hours later.
- Where
- He was taken near Nakuru and found near Masinga Dam, more than 200 kilometers southeast.
- When
- The abduction occurred shortly before 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday; he was found on Wednesday.
- Why
- Standard Group’s chief executive said the incident was linked to Kiprotich’s work as a journalist; the motive has not been independently established.
Standard Group’s account
Government position and response
Connection to journalism
Standard Group’s account
Standard Group CEO Chaacha Mwita said the abduction was linked to Kiprotich’s work as a journalist and criticized the incident as an attack on media freedom.
Government position and response
No government agency publicly accepted responsibility or provided an alternative explanation; the president’s spokesperson did not immediately respond.
Alleged state involvement in abductions
Standard Group’s account
Human rights groups have accused state security agencies of abducting or causing critics and activists to disappear, and Standard Group has linked this incident to Kiprotich’s journalism.
Government position and response
Government officials have denied those broader allegations. President William Ruto has acknowledged instances of excessive and extrajudicial action by security-service members.
Key facts
- Person
- Alex Kiprotich
- Role
- Associate editor at Standard Group
- Initial location
- Near Nakuru, Kenya
- Recovery location
- Near Masinga Dam
- Distance
- More than 200 kilometers from Nakuru
- Suspects shown
- Dashcam footage appeared to show four armed and masked men
- Earlier incident
- Standard Group said Kiprotich escaped an attempted seizure in June
Quotes
Chaacha Mwita
Chief executive officer of Standard Group
“This is a really sad thing to happen in a country like Kenya that says it is free and respects the freedom of the media and journalists to do their work”
theprint.in
Sources
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