MCK wants abduction of Standard Group editor Alex Kiprotich investigated

Standard Group PLC Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich when he arrived at the media house offices along Mombasa after he was found dumped near Masinga Dam after his abduction along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has called on the Inspector General (IG) of Police Douglas Kanja to open an investigation into the abduction of Standard Group PLC Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road in Nakuru County.

MCK wants the probe to be immediate, thorough and transparent to establish circumstances under which Kiprotich was abducted and later dumped near Masinga dam in Machakos County.

“Video footage recorded during the incident shows armed people blocking his vehicle while violently ordering the occupants to lower the window and get out of the vehicle. The journalist sounds extremely fearful, intimidated and threatened,” said the councils CEO David Omwoyo.

Omwoyo said that Kenya’s security agencies have the capability to use their intelligence networks to investigate the incident and arrest the perpetrators of crimes against journalists but choose to ignore.

“We hope the police will feel compelled to act on this flagrant disregard of human rights and press freedom.”

He added that MCK had monitored and documented several dire cases of press freedom violations and crimes against journalists saying they had presented them to IG Kanja but no action has been taken.

“The Director of Public Prosecutions has already directed the police to act on several cases forwarded to IG within 30 days.”

MCK noted that this was the second time that Kiprotich had gone through such an ordeal yet there has been no progress on investigations by police.

The last time was on June 27, 2026, when armed men attempted to abduct him at Mercy Njeri along the Nakuru-Kabarak road.

“The Council takes this matter seriously, especially because no one was arrested on the first attempted abduction despite the journalist reporting the matter to the police.”
Omwoyo said that the council had noted an increase in cases of press freedom violations yet it had raised the same with relevant authorities.

“The various reports, the Council has noted and recommended that one of the major challenges in the defence of independent journalism and access to information in Kenya is lack of investigations and prosecution of related violations.”
MCK also condemned the recent trolling and profiling of journalists with the recent cases being of several top editors at the Nation Media Group on social media.

“The State bears the responsibility of ensuring that journalists are not intimidated or harassed because attacks on the media are a threat to democracy.”
Kiprotich’s return was welcomed by the Gusii Press Club who said that his abduction was extremely disturbing and should be condemned by all who value human life and a free press.

“Journalists should never be targeted, threatened or abducted for performing their professional duties. Journalism is not a crime, and asking questions or reporting matters of public interest should never be criminalized,” they said in a statement.