Kenya journalist escapes abduction after criticism of president, says CPJ

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an investigation into the attempted kidnapping of a senior journalist in Kenya, which followed angry criticism of his newspaper by President William Ruto.

Issued on: 08/07/2026 - 12:44

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The CPJ called late on Monday on Kenyan authorities to investigate this attempt by heavily armed men to snatch The Standard Group associate editor Alex Kiprotich from his car, and to ensure that those behind the incident are brought to justice.

The incident happened days after the president criticised the media house.

"The attempt to forcibly disappear Alex Kiprotich, three days after President William Ruto railed against The Standard Group, reflects the growing dangers that journalists face in Kenya, despite the president's earlier promise to allow the press to work freely," said CPJ Africa director Angela Quintal.

"Kenyan authorities must respect the democratic role of the media in commenting on the government's achievements and shortcomings ahead of next year's elections and bring an end to this horrific trend of enforced disappearances," she added.

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Criticism and threats

On 27 June, Kiprotich was driving to work in the central city of Nakuru when a car intercepted him and three men in plain clothes, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, stepped out, the journalist told CPJ.

Kiprotich said his assailants were in a Toyota Probox, a car that has been used to seize numerous activists in Kenya, which investigations by The Standard Group found was owned by the police's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB).

One assailant opened the passenger door to check that Kiprotich was alone and then walked towards the driver's side. Kiprotich said he locked all the doors and sped away.

"As the editor responsible for The Standard's content, I knew I had become a target," said Kiprotich, adding that he and a witness gave statements at the local police station.

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On 24 June, Ruto criticised The Standard Group, one of Kenya's largest media houses, in a post on X addressed to "GMoi," in reference to politician Gideon Moi, the son of late former President Daniel arap Moi, whose family are majority shareholders in The Standard Group.

Ruto said the group was producing "5 days a week EXTORTIONIST propaganda HEADLINES on me & my administration's transformative track record."

Political implications

The two politicians are heading rival parties ahead of August 2027 elections in which Ruto is likely to seek a second term.

The Standard Group has been critical of Ruto's administration, including a KTN News series this month called "The Gallery of Ruto's Lies."

When Ruto won the 2022 election, he said he believed in media freedom and encouraged journalists "to criticise us when we go wrong."

But rights groups have reported dozens of abductions of government critics in Kenya in recent years.

Forcible disappearances of government critics have soared in Kenya in recent years, including of Tanzanian journalist Maria Sarungi Tsehai in 2025.

Although a Kenyan court ruled that police unlawfully killed Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in 2022, no one has been held to account.

In response to CPJ's question as to whether the police were involved in the incident, police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said via messaging app, "Police and abduction in the same line? You need to get your facts right."

Nyaga did not respond to CPJ's request for comment on the letter from Kiprotich's lawyer to the police, which included the names of the officers involved in the 27 June incident.

(with newswires)