The International Press Institute (IPI) joins media organisations in Kenya in strongly condemning the abduction of Standard Group associate editor Alex Kiprotich by armed assailants. While Kenyan Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanji has ordered an investigation into holding the perpetrators accountable, IPI calls for that investigation to be credible and transparent and for Kenyan authorities to take firm action against escalating attacks on journalists.
According to footage captured on Kiprotich’s dashboard camera, armed assailants abducted him at gunpoint on the night of September 1. Kiprotich was found in the early hours of the next morning more than 200km from where he was taken. He told colleagues that his captors repeatedly interrogated him about how Standard Group sources its stories and makes editorial decisions.
The attack comes just over two months after a foiled abduction attempt by armed men on the same editor by individuals purportedly linked to the police. On June 27, armed men tried to seize him as he drove to work, but he escaped by locking his doors and driving away. Standard Group’s chief executive, Chaacha Mwita, has said both incidents are linked to Kiprotich’s work and reporting by the Standard, the media company’s leading newspaper, claimed that the assailants in both incidents have police connections.
Three days earlier, on June 24, Kenyan President William Ruto posted a scathing attack against Standard Group on his official X account, accusing the company of running an “extortionist propaganda” campaign against him and his government. That post, and the timing of the June 27 attempt, raised concerns about the weaponisation of state machinery against journalists critical of the administration. Those concerns have now resurfaced. The National Police Service has condemned any act of kidnapping, abduction, or intimidation aimed at interfering with press freedom and has promised a transparent investigation into the incident.
“The brazen abduction of an editor because of his work is a serious affront to press freedom protections under Kenya’s Constitution, and risks silencing reporting on matters of public interest,” IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “We urge authorities to ensure that the ongoing investigations translate into tangible accountability and justice. The media must be allowed to report freely without fearing reprisals.”
The targeted attacks against Standard Group and its journalists are not isolated incidents. They reflect the deteriorating state of press freedom in Kenya. IPI’s most recent media freedom monitoring report covering April to June documents at least eight attacks against journalists in Kenya, the highest after Somalia, South Africa and Uganda. That marks a sharp rise from the two incidents recorded between January and March.
Ethiopian journalist Yacob Yatane, who was living in exile in Kenya, was found dead in Nairobi in April under suspicious circumstances. According to media reports, Yatane had expressed concerns about his safety and had filed reports with the National Police Service and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Investigations into his death have not made significant progress.
Journalists covering public events have also been attacked in recent months, and those cases remain unaddressed. On August 16, armed youths attacked journalists covering an opposition political rally in Homa Bay County. Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists Fred Ooko and Brian Ongoro were assaulted on their way to the gathering. Ooko sustained injuries to his arms, and the assailants took their press cards, driving licences, cameras, and other belongings. Attackers also assaulted Standard Group’s Sammy Omingo and Rodgers Otiso, and beat Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) journalist Ken Odiwuor and stole his equipment.
With the 2027 general elections less than a year away, independent journalism in Kenya faces serious threats at a time when an informed public matters most to the vote.