The reported abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich has triggered renewed scrutiny over the safety of journalists in Kenya.
Media organisations warning that intimidation of reporters could have far-reaching consequences for the public’s right to information.
Kiprotich was allegedly seized by armed individuals Tuesday night along the Gilgil-Nakuru highway and later found safe in the Masinga area of Machakos county, more than 200 kilometres away.
His disappearance sparked an overnight search by colleagues and family members before he was located at about 6.30am near Masinga Dam.
Standard Group chief executive officer Chaacha Mwita said Kiprotich was allegedly dumped by his captors and sought refuge with a nearby family, which took him in before a Standard Group team found him.
The journalist was reported to be safe but shaken and was taken to hospital for medical checks.
The circumstances surrounding the incident, however, remained unclear, with police investigating what happened and why the journalist was allegedly taken.
The incident has now shifted attention from the safety of one journalist to the wider operating environment for Kenya’s media.
Kenya Editors Guild president Zubeidah Kananu said journalists should not have to determine whether their reporting could expose them to danger before doing their work.
“A journalist's safety cannot depend on whether the government approves of his reporting,” Kananu said.
She described the safety of journalists, media freedom and the public's right to know as non-negotiable.
The guild said the alleged abduction should be treated as an attack on democratic institutions because journalists play a critical role in informing citizens and holding those in power to account.
“When a journalist is abducted, the victim is not the only one silenced. The entire public is silenced with him,” Kananu said.
The Media Owners Association of Kenya echoed the concerns, calling for a swift, independent and transparent investigation into the incident.
MOA chairperson Agnes Kalekye said the reported incident had raised serious questions about the safety of media practitioners carrying out their professional duties.
“We are relieved that he has been found safe,” the association said.
MOA also called for clear institutional guarantees for the safety of journalists and offered to engage the government, security agencies and industry stakeholders on ways of strengthening their protection.
“Journalists' safety is non-negotiable,” the association said.
Amnesty International Kenya also demanded an independent investigation, saying the incident threatened freedom of expression and media freedom.
Executive director George Morara said the government should ensure anyone found responsible is held accountable if wrongdoing is established.
“Every credible allegation of a human rights violation must be investigated independently, thoroughly and transparently,” he said, quoting President William Ruto's recent constitutional anniversary remarks.
A video purporting to capture the abduction has also circulated online.
In the footage, a person believed to be Kiprotich can be heard screaming and asking what he had done to warrant being taken away.
The emergence of the footage is likely to form part of the circumstances investigators examine as they seek to establish what happened before, during and after the reported incident.
Kananu said the state must demonstrate its commitment to media freedom through action, insisting journalists must be able to report without fear of intimidation, assault or abduction.
Media council of Kenya (MCK) also issued a statement demanding immediate investigations into the abduction.
Through their chief executive officer and secretary to the Council David Omwoyo, they said they were “perturbed by the daring abduction” of Kiprotich.
