The Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich 
By Andrew Mbuva.
The Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich has been found safe after being abducted along the Gilgil–Nakuru highway on Tuesday night, bringing an anxious search for the journalist to an end.
Kiprotich was located at around 6.30am on Wednesday near Masinga Dam by a Standard Group team led by Group Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita.
According to the media company, the journalist had been dumped by his captors in the early hours of the morning before seeking refuge at a nearby family’s home. The family took him in and cared for him until he was located.
“The circumstances of Mr Kiprotich's abduction remain deeply troubling, and we will continue to press for full accountability,” Mwita said in a statement.
The journalist was abducted shortly before 9.20pm on Tuesday while travelling to Nakuru, according to the Standard Group. His whereabouts remained unknown for several hours, prompting an overnight search involving colleagues and others concerned about his safety.
The latest incident is the second time Kiprotich has reportedly been targeted in less than three months.
On June 27, 2026, armed men allegedly attempted to seize him from his vehicle as he drove to work in Nakuru. The journalist escaped by locking his car doors and driving away.
The Standard Group said the earlier incident involved a Toyota Probox, a vehicle the company described as having been repeatedly linked to enforced disappearances of government critics in Kenya.
The media house further claimed that its investigations had traced the vehicle involved in the June incident to the National Police Service's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau. It said no one had been held accountable over the alleged attempted abduction.
The June incident occurred days after President William Ruto publicly criticised the Standard Group over its coverage, according to the media company.
Following Tuesday night's abduction, the Standard Group raised concerns that the latest incident could be connected to Kiprotich's editorial work and his reporting on the conduct of the State.
“We do not believe this is a coincidence,” Mwita said in the statement issued on Tuesday night, before the journalist was found.
The media organisation said the incident bore the hallmarks of what it described as a targeted attack against a journalist and warned that any attempt to intimidate journalists into silence would amount to an assault on freedom of expression and media freedom.
The Standard Group invoked Articles 33 and 34 of the Constitution, which protect freedom of expression and freedom of the media, respectively.
The company also held the State responsible for Kiprotich's safety and demanded a prompt, transparent and independent investigation into both the latest abduction and the June 27 incident.
It called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Law Society of Kenya, Media Council of Kenya, Committee to Protect Journalists and other stakeholders to push for answers.
With Kiprotich now safe, the Standard Group said its immediate focus was on his wellbeing while maintaining that the circumstances surrounding his abduction must be fully investigated.
“For now, we are simply grateful that Alex is safe,” Mwita said.
