Karen Nyamu has questioned the circumstances surrounding the abduction of Standard Group editor Alex Kiprotich, alleging that the incident could be used to politically blame President William Ruto.
Senator Karen Nyamu has questioned the circumstances surrounding the abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich, suggesting that the incident could be used to politically implicate President William Ruto.
Kiprotich was abducted on Tuesday night, September 1, while travelling along the Gilgil–Nakuru Road. He was later found safe near Masinga Dam in the early hours of Wednesday, bringing an end to a nine-hour ordeal.
Reacting to the incident, Nyamu suggested that the events were part of a familiar political pattern that Kenyans have witnessed before, particularly as the country moves closer to an election period.
“This one is too obvious. They want this to be blamed on the president. We have seen the script many times as elections near. And innocent citizens fall for it,” Nyamu said.
She added: “What they forget is that God is in control. I hope they don’t kill him.”
Nyamu’s remarks came as details of Kiprotich’s ordeal began to emerge.
According to the Standard Group, Kiprotich was taken by four masked men who were armed with AK-47 rifles. The media house reported that the men were travelling in a Subaru fitted with a siren and bearing registration number KDC 125E, which the company said checks indicated was a government vehicle.
Kiprotich later told his colleagues that his captors repeatedly questioned him about the Standard Group’s editorial operations, including where the media house obtained its stories and how its headlines were determined. He also said they asked about visits by Gideon Moi, a shareholder in the media group, to Kabarak.
The circumstances have raised further questions because Kiprotich had reportedly been targeted in a separate incident in June. The Standard Group said armed men in a Toyota Probox attempted to seize him as he travelled to work in Nakuru on June 27, but he escaped by locking his vehicle and driving away.
The latest incident has therefore placed renewed attention on the safety of journalists in Kenya and the circumstances surrounding the repeated targeting of Kiprotich.
For now, Nyamu’s suggestion that the abduction could be part of a political effort to blame the President remains an allegation. No evidence has been publicly presented establishing who ordered or carried out the abduction, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.
The immediate development, however, is that Kiprotich is alive and safe. The Standard Group said he was visibly shaken after the ordeal and had sought refuge with a nearby family before being located by his colleagues.
