The Committee to Protect Journalists called late Monday for an investigation into the attempted kidnapping of a senior journalist in Kenya that followed angry criticism of his newspaper by President William Ruto.

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

Alex Kiprotich, associate editor of The Standard newspaper group, says that heavily armed men attempted to seize him as he drove to work in the city of Nakuru on June 27.

Three men in plain clothes, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, intercepted his car, and tried to open his door, but Kiprotich was able to lock the doors in time and speed away.

“As the person responsible for The Standard’s headlines, I knew I had become a target,” Kiprotich told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), adding that he and a witness gave statements to police.

A police spokesman told AFP he was not aware of any attempted abduction.

“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,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal, calling for police to investigate.

“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.

The incident came just three days after Ruto criticised The Standard on X.

The posts were not in Ruto’s usual statesman-like tone and appeared to be a crude attempt to copy the unhinged social media style of US President Donald Trump.

“Your STANDARD media’s 5 days a week EXTORTIONIST propaganda HEADLINES on me and my administration’s transformative track record will get you NOTHING and NOWHERE,” Ruto posted.

He addressed the post to “GMoi”, a reference to Gideon Moi, son of former president Daniel arap Moi, whose family are majority owner of The Standard.

The family are backing rival candidates ahead of the next year’s election.

The police have frequently denied involvement in abductions, which peaked in the months after a major protests in June-July 2024.

Ruto has acknowledged that abductions took place but vowed in May 2025 to stop them, saying an “accountability mechanism” would bring those responsible to justice. This has yet to happen.

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