Standard Group CEO Chaacha Mwita narrates Alex Kiprotich abduction ordeal

Speaking near Masinga Dam, where Kiprotich was found safe on Wednesday after being abducted by armed men along the Gilgil–Nakuru Road, Mwita said he received a distress call from a colleague at around 9:20 p.m., informing him that Kiprotich had been abducted.

"He had received a distress call from Alex on an ongoing abduction that Kenyans have now seen on camera. It was done in disregard of the law," he said.

Shortly after, a Standard Group security team was deployed, police stations in Nakuru and Nairobi were alerted, and the Group reported the matter across its platforms.

The anxious search came to an end in the early hours of Wednesday after the Standard Group received information that Kiprotich had been dumped near Masinga Dam.

The abductors had reportedly told him that he was in Baringo and instructed him not to wake up until he was told to do so. 

Kiprotich later sought refuge at a nearby home, which offered him shelter and a phone to contact his colleagues and company.

"The people who had abducted him had switched off his phone. There was no way of reaching him, which added another layer of trauma around this. Fortunately, at around 3:00am we received a call that Alex had been dropped in one of the thickets at the edges of Masinga Dam," Mwita added.

A Standard Group team led by Mwita later travelled to the area and located him at around 6:30 a.m. 

The media house said Kiprotich was safe, although understandably shaken by the ordeal, with Mwita expressing his gratitude to the family that took in the journalist and to those who supported efforts to locate him.

He also described the incident as a deeply disturbing attack on press freedom, questioning the commitment of the State to protecting journalists and media freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution.

“I am really, really sad and shocked by this act,” Mwita said.

Kiprotich's abduction comes barely two months after he survived another alleged abduction attempt in Nakuru. 

The Standard Group later said its investigations had linked the vehicle involved in the June incident to officers attached to the National Police Service’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau in Nakuru.

The latest incident has renewed concerns over the safety of journalists in Kenya, with media and human rights organisations calling for investigations and accountability.