{"id":2124039,"date":"2026-09-02T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T09:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2124039"},"modified":"2026-09-02T12:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T09:00:09","slug":"rights-groups-say-activists-still-being-abducted-in-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2124039","title":{"rendered":"Rights groups say activists still being abducted in Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/78744756_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5KIzo<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Kenyan newspaper The Standard is often crticial of President William Ruto, who singled the paper out in comments online over the summerImage: James Wakibia\/SOPA Images\/Sipa USA\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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An associate editor for one of Kenya<\/a>‘s largest news outlets, The Standard<\/em>, was abducted by armed men overnight and then released near a dam far from the scene around nine hours later, his employer said on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alex Kiprotich was taken from a car at around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday on a road near the city of Nakuru.<\/p>\n

“The circumstances of Mr\u00a0Kiprotich’s abduction remain deeply troubling, and we will continue to press for full accountability,” the government-critical outlet said in a press release after his discovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Late on Tuesday the Standard Group’s CEO Chaacha Mwita had also said that the “abduction bears all the hallmarks of a targeted attack on a journalist for doing his job.”<\/p>\n

\"Alex
Kirpotich (left in picture) and CEO Mwita appeared at a Nairobi press confernce on WednesdayImage: Monicah Mwangi\/REUTERS<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do we know about the apparent abduction?<\/h2>\n

The newspaper released a video overnight of what appeared to be dashcam footage from the car Kiprotich was traveling in when he was abducted.<\/p>\n

A white vehicle without any markings apparent in the\u00a0footage\u00a0came to a stop in front of the car in an area where temporary barriers created a single-lane bottleneck on\u00a0the Gilgil-Nakuru highway, and put on its hazard lights.<\/p>\n

Four men in civilian clothes and obscuring their faces \u2014\u00a0some holding firearms and others carrying what appeared to be baseball bats \u2014 emerged and converged on the car, soon taking a man back to their vehicle and driving off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Standard Group said that Kiprotich had been located near a dam more than\u00a0200 kilometers (120 miles) southeast the scene of the abduction roughly nine hours earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Mr Kiprotich was located by a Standard Group team led by the Group CEO Chaacha Mwita at around 6:30 a.m. near Masinga Dam, after being dumped by his captors in the early hours of the morning,” it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiprotic was “safe, though understandably shaken by his ordeal,” his employer said. Kiprotich works for newspaper The Standard<\/em>, a flagship of the wider media group known for its critical coverage of President William Ruto’s government<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Rights groups say activists still being abducted in Kenya<\/h2>\n

Right groups call for investigation, warn of pattern of abductions and intimidation<\/h2>\n

Police and the government in Kenya did not immediately comment on the incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dozens of government critics and activists have been abducted in Kenya this year alone, according to a report released this week, with the practice becoming more common since widespread anti-government protests in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Human rights groups have accused state agencies of being responsible, with Standard Group voicing similar suspicions in this case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiprotich had said in June that he narrowly escaped a previous attempt to kidnap him, which came three days after Ruto called out the Standard Group on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kenya’s editors’ guild said it was “shocked, outraged and deeply perturbed” by Tuesday’s abduction, describing it as “a disturbing escalation in the intimidation and targeting of journalists in Kenya.”<\/p>\n

Amnesty International Kenya called for an independent investigation, saying\u00a0the incident raised “serious concerns for media freedom.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edited by: Zac Crellin<\/em><\/p>\n

If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google<\/a>, so you’ll always see our verified news first.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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An associate editor for one of Kenya<\/a>‘s largest news outlets, The Standard<\/em>, was abducted by armed men overnight and then released near a dam far from the scene around nine hours later, his employer said on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alex Kiprotich was taken from a car at around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday on a road near the city of Nakuru.<\/p>\n

“The circumstances of Mr\u00a0Kiprotich’s abduction remain deeply troubling, and we will continue to press for full accountability,” the government-critical outlet said in a press release after his discovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Late on Tuesday the Standard Group’s CEO Chaacha Mwita had also said that the “abduction bears all the hallmarks of a targeted attack on a journalist for doing his job.”<\/p>\n

\"Alex
Kirpotich (left in picture) and CEO Mwita appeared at a Nairobi press confernce on WednesdayImage: Monicah Mwangi\/REUTERS<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do we know about the apparent abduction?<\/h2>\n

The newspaper released a video overnight of what appeared to be dashcam footage from the car Kiprotich was traveling in when he was abducted.<\/p>\n

A white vehicle without any markings apparent in the\u00a0footage\u00a0came to a stop in front of the car in an area where temporary barriers created a single-lane bottleneck on\u00a0the Gilgil-Nakuru highway, and put on its hazard lights.<\/p>\n

Four men in civilian clothes and obscuring their faces \u2014\u00a0some holding firearms and others carrying what appeared to be baseball bats \u2014 emerged and converged on the car, soon taking a man back to their vehicle and driving off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Standard Group said that Kiprotich had been located near a dam more than\u00a0200 kilometers (120 miles) southeast the scene of the abduction roughly nine hours earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Mr Kiprotich was located by a Standard Group team led by the Group CEO Chaacha Mwita at around 6:30 a.m. near Masinga Dam, after being dumped by his captors in the early hours of the morning,” it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiprotic was “safe, though understandably shaken by his ordeal,” his employer said. Kiprotich works for newspaper The Standard<\/em>, a flagship of the wider media group known for its critical coverage of President William Ruto’s government<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Rights groups say activists still being abducted in Kenya<\/h2>\n

Right groups call for investigation, warn of pattern of abductions and intimidation<\/h2>\n

Police and the government in Kenya did not immediately comment on the incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dozens of government critics and activists have been abducted in Kenya this year alone, according to a report released this week, with the practice becoming more common since widespread anti-government protests in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Human rights groups have accused state agencies of being responsible, with Standard Group voicing similar suspicions in this case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiprotich had said in June that he narrowly escaped a previous attempt to kidnap him, which came three days after Ruto called out the Standard Group on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kenya’s editors’ guild said it was “shocked, outraged and deeply perturbed” by Tuesday’s abduction, describing it as “a disturbing escalation in the intimidation and targeting of journalists in Kenya.”<\/p>\n

Amnesty International Kenya called for an independent investigation, saying\u00a0the incident raised “serious concerns for media freedom.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edited by: Zac Crellin<\/em><\/p>\n

If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google<\/a>, so you’ll always see our verified news first.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

An associate editor for one of Kenya<\/a>‘s largest news outlets, The Standard<\/em>, was abducted by armed men overnight and then released near a dam far from the scene around nine hours later, his employer said on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alex Kiprotich was taken from a car at around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday on a road near the city of Nakuru.<\/p>\n

“The circumstances of Mr\u00a0Kiprotich’s abduction remain deeply troubling, and we will continue to press for full accountability,” the government-critical outlet said in a press release after his discovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Late on Tuesday the Standard Group’s CEO Chaacha Mwita had also said that the “abduction bears all the hallmarks of a targeted attack on a journalist for doing his job.”<\/p>\n

The newspaper released a video overnight of what appeared to be dashcam footage from the car Kiprotich was traveling in when he was abducted.<\/p>\n

A white vehicle without any markings apparent in the\u00a0footage\u00a0came to a stop in front of the car in an area where temporary barriers created a single-lane bottleneck on\u00a0the Gilgil-Nakuru highway, and put on its hazard lights.<\/p>\n

Four men in civilian clothes and obscuring their faces \u2014\u00a0some holding firearms and others carrying what appeared to be baseball bats \u2014 emerged and converged on the car, soon taking a man back to their vehicle and driving off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Standard Group said that Kiprotich had been located near a dam more than\u00a0200 kilometers (120 miles) southeast the scene of the abduction roughly nine hours earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Mr Kiprotich was located by a Standard Group team led by the Group CEO Chaacha Mwita at around 6:30 a.m. near Masinga Dam, after being dumped by his captors in the early hours of the morning,” it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiprotic was “safe, though understandably shaken by his ordeal,” his employer said. Kiprotich works for newspaper The Standard<\/em>, a flagship of the wider media group known for its critical coverage of President William Ruto’s government<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

Police and the government in Kenya did not immediately comment on the incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dozens of government critics and activists have been abducted in Kenya this year alone, according to a report released this week, with the practice becoming more common since widespread anti-government protests in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Human rights groups have accused state agencies of being responsible, with Standard Group voicing similar suspicions in this case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiprotich had said in June that he narrowly escaped a previous attempt to kidnap him, which came three days after Ruto called out the Standard Group on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kenya’s editors’ guild said it was “shocked, outraged and deeply perturbed” by Tuesday’s abduction, describing it as “a disturbing escalation in the intimidation and targeting of journalists in Kenya.”<\/p>\n

Amnesty International Kenya called for an independent investigation, saying\u00a0the incident raised “serious concerns for media freedom.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edited by: Zac Crellin<\/em><\/p>\n

If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google<\/a>, so you’ll always see our verified news first.<\/em><\/p>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/78744756_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5KIzo Kenyan newspaper The Standard is often crticial of President William Ruto, who singled the paper out in comments online over the summerImage: James Wakibia\/SOPA Images\/Sipa USA\/picture alliance An associate editor for one of Kenya‘s largest news outlets, The Standard, was abducted by armed men overnight and then released near a dam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2124039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2124039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124039\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2124039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2124039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2124039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}