Media stakeholders want abductors punished

The abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich has sent shockwaves through Kenya’s media fraternity, with stakeholders warning that the incident represents a dangerous escalation in attacks against journalists and an assault on the country’s constitutional right to press freedom.

Kiprotich was abducted by armed men along the Gilgil–Nakuru Road on Tuesday night and was later found safe, dumped near Masinga Dam after spending hours in captivity.

In a joint press briefing at the Group's headquarters along Mombasa Road on Wednesday, moments after the release of Kiprotich, Kenya Media Sector Working Group described the incident as a calculated and heavy-handed signal meant to instill fear across the country's media fraternity.

The Coalition representing at least 25 media lobby groups said the incident had deepened fear among journalists, warning that many media practitioners were increasingly working under intimidation, with some suffering psychological distress from repeated threats and harassment.

“Journalists are now living in fear, even inside newsrooms. Some are going through stress because of the injustices they are facing,” said the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) President Zubeidah Kananu

She questioned why journalists had become targets simply for carrying out their constitutional duty of informing the public.

“Every day a journalist leaves home, they do not know whether they will be targeted by police, goons or politicians. What crime have we committed by informing the public? Why has the journalist become the target?” Kananu posed.

The guild accused the government of offering assurances without taking meaningful action, describing repeated promises to protect journalists as “fake promises” that had failed to guarantee their safety.

KEG pointed to recent statements by President William Ruto acknowledging the right of every Kenyan to freely express themselves, as well as an apology by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over the harassment and assault of journalists during a recent political rally in Homa Bay County.

“But these have remained words,” the guild said. “Journalists are human beings too, and they have rights.”

The editors further warned that the media would not be cowed into silence, saying that they would not hesitate to down tools should the State ignore the calls for an end to violation of journalists' rights. 

“We went to the streets in 2024, and it is not because we are tired of doing so. Intimidating and abusing journalists is not right. What exactly are they trying to hide?” Kananu asked.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Africa Director, Angela Quintal, said: Presidsent William Ruto's government must urgently investigate Tuesday evenings seizure of Standard Media Group editor Alex Kiprotich by armed men on a highway./ This attack, coming two months after an earlier attempt to abduct Kiprotich, is shameful indictment of the Ruto government's increasing disregard for press freedom."

The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) said it was preparing to pursue formal complaints and possible legal action against officers it alleged were involved in Kiprotich’s abduction.

The union's Secretary General Eric Oduor said it had information on the security officers and unit allegedly involved in the operation and insisted that its condemnation would be followed by concrete action.

“We are not just holding a press conference here to condemn and worry about it. We are already very sure of what we are talking about and the people who were involved,” Oduor said.

“If no action is taken, obviously we have a legal option which we will take. We will particularly target these officers and sue them for the action they took.”

The Media Council of Kenya (MCK), in solidarity with the stakeholders, also condemned the abduction, urging parties aggrieved with some media reporting to use stipulated complaint mechanisms to pursue accountability.

“Abduction should not be done,” said MCK Press Freedom and Advocacy Manager Rebecca Mutiso, warning that attacks on journalists often signal a deeper problem within society.

“The first thing that begins to suffer when a country needs to go back and look at itself in the mirror is the media.”

The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK), meanwhile, said attacks on journalists should be understood as direct attacks on press freedom and the public’s right to information.

“Citizens of this country must understand that the moment we experience threats to press freedom, it is also a threat to the information they are receiving.”

AMWIK warned that the intimidation of journalists could cripple the media’s constitutional mandate to inform the public, saying there appeared to be deliberate efforts to silence those tasked with holding power to account.

“Somebody is working extremely hard to ensure that we do not do our constitutional mandate, which is to inform the public,” the organisation said.

The Media Owners Association (MOA) also joined the frail, calling for a swift, independent investigation into the incident.

"No journalist should be abducted, threatened or interfered with for doing their work," said MOA chair Agnes Kalekye.

"The Association calls for swift, independent and transparent investigation, and for clear institutional guarantees for the safety of media practitioners in Kenya," she added Kalekye, demanding for clear institutional guarantees to strengthen the safety and protection of media practitioners in Kenya.

At the same time, human rights organisations also criticised the heinous act, pointing finger at President Ruto's regime as being directly responsible for the "brutal and clandestine policing tactics."

"For years, victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have described to the KHRC a killer squad operating with a similar brazenness and disregard for the law as those who abducted Kiprotich," Kenya Human Rights Commission said in a statement.

The National CBO Council also expressed deep concern about the abduction of the veteran scribe, noting that the abduction is a direct assault on freedom of expression, freedom of the media, the right of citizens to access information and the very foundations of our democracy.

"No government or institution should use intimidation, threats, abduction or fear to prevent the truth and information from reaching the public," said Tom Aosa, National CBO Council president, said in a statement.

"We must speak plainly: silencing the media through fear, intimidation, abduction or force is a brutal assault on democracy," he added.

The abduction comes amid reports indicating that nearly three Kenyans were killed by police daily, totalling 3,985, during Ruto’s four years of repression.

According to Vocal Africa, the abduction of Kiprotich is a clear pattern of state backed repression and targeted retaliation.

"Mr. Kiprotich's abduction is not a random act of crime, it directly follows critical investigative reporting scrutinizing state conduct and prior threats traced to police intelligence units," said Hussein Khalid, Vocal Africa's Executive Director.

Khalid demanded an immediate, and unhindered investigation by IPOA into the incident and absolute end to the deployment of illegal abduction squads and rogue security units targeting journalists, human rights defenders and critics of the state.

The stakeholders called on the government to move beyond condemnation and apologies by ensuring those responsible for Kiprotich’s abduction are identified, investigated and held accountable.

“Let us uphold the rule of law. Let us respect journalists and let us ensure that we support them and give them the protection they need,” AMWIK said.

The incident comes at a time when reports have emerged that three people die daily from police brutality, with 3,958 deaths recorded so far since 2022.