Abducted once, targeted again,how many warnings will it take before questions about the safety of journalists in Kenya are answered? Standard Group Associate Editor Journalist Alex Kiprotich has survived a second alleged abduction attempt in 67 days, after armed men reportedly intercepted his vehicle along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway on Tuesday night.
Kiprotich had left the Standard Group headquarters along Mombasa Road shortly after 7pm when a Subaru Forester allegedly began trailing his vehicle.
According to Kiprotich, the vehicle followed him for nearly 120 kilometres, with its occupants making several attempts to overtake and block his car. The attempts reportedly failed until the vehicles reached the Gilgil weighbridge, where the road narrowed, leaving limited room for escape.
The occupants of the Subaru, registration number KDG 125E, allegedly intercepted Kiprotich’s vehicle before several armed men jumped out and confronted him and his driver.
The men were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and smashed the vehicle’s windows using the butts of their guns while threatening to shoot the occupants.
Kiprotich says the men appeared to operate with the precision of trained security officers, raising concerns over whether the attackers could have had links to law enforcement.
The journalist was then allegedly taken hostage, while his driver was left behind with the vehicle in Gilgil.
The abductors reportedly confiscated the phones belonging to Kiprotich and his driver before fleeing with the journalist.
At around 2:30am, Kiprotich says he was driven blindfolded into a thicket near Masinga Dam, where he was allegedly assaulted, harassed and interrogated about recent headlines published by the Standard newspaper.
He later managed to escape from the area at around 3am and trekked to a nearby homestead, where he sought refuge and contacted his family and colleagues.
Meanwhile, his driver had driven back to the Standard Group headquarters in Nairobi to report the incident.
The Standard Group CEO and Kiprotich’s colleagues subsequently reported the matter to police in Nakuru before travelling to the Masinga Dam area, where they found and reunited with the journalist.
The alleged attack comes just 67 days after Kiprotich reportedly survived another attempt on his life in Nakuru on June 27.
A search of the registration number KDG 125E on the NTSA portal reportedly indicates that the number plates are registered to a privately owned Honda Fit, rather than the Subaru Forester allegedly used in the incident.
The discrepancy has raised questions about whether the attackers deliberately used plates belonging to another vehicle to conceal their identities.
The National Police Service says it is aware of reports concerning the alleged abduction and has launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Police say the probe will seek to establish what happened and identify the heavily armed men allegedly involved in the attack.
The incident has also triggered allegations of possible involvement by rogue security officers. However, claims linking the attackers to a special police unit or to a senior government official remain unverified and are subject to ongoing investigations.
Authorities are expected to establish the identities of those involved, the motive behind the alleged abduction and whether the vehicle and firearms used in the incident were connected to any security agency.
