The Kenya Editors Guild has demanded a swift, transparent and independent investigation into the reported abduction of The Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a statement obtained by   Kenyans.co.ke on Wednesday, September 2, the Guild said the incident was a disturbing escalation in the intimidation and targeting of journalists, warning that an attack on a journalist also threatens media freedom and the public’s right to know.

“We are calling for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kiprotich’s reported abduction, as well as the earlier incident on June 27 when armed men allegedly attempted to intercept him while he was driving to work in Nakuru,” the guild said

It has further demanded an investigation into claims that The Standard Group subsequently traced a Toyota Probox allegedly used in the June incident to the National Police Service’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau.

📌 What You Need to Know

Further, the Guild wants all persons found responsible for the attacks to be identified and prosecuted regardless of their position, rank or institutional affiliation, saying the allegations are too serious to be dismissed or buried in silence.

In the wake of Kiprotich's abduction, the journalist has since been found safe near Masinga Dam, hours after an alleged ordeal involving armed men along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road.

The Standard Group Editor-in-Chief John Bundotich, speaking at the recovery scene, said the newsroom received a call at around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday reporting Kiprotich’s reported abduction, after which the matter was reported to police in Nakuru and Nairobi.

“We activated our security team to establish Alex’s whereabouts, but his phone had been switched off. At around 3 a.m., we received information that he had been found in a thicket in Masinga, and we moved in to rescue him,” Bundotich said.

Meanwhile, the Guild has also called for a credible investigation into the reported assault of two Kisumu-based Agence France-Presse journalists, Fred Ooko and Brian Ongoro, while covering a Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay Town.

It said the incidents, taken together, pointed to a troubling environment in which journalists were allegedly being beaten, threatened, harassed, pursued and abducted while carrying out their professional duties.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke