Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has alleged that the abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich was connected to a planned investigative report on a multi-million-shilling compensation fraud involving Mau Forest evictees.
In a statement, Gachagua claimed that Kiprotich had been preparing to expose how funds meant for thousands of displaced families, particularly from the Kipsigis community, had been siphoned off by officials within the National Government Administration.
According to the former DP, the exposé would have detailed a blow-by-blow account of the alleged theft, which had left evictees destitute and frustrated.
Former DP Rigathi Gachagua. Photo: Courtesy.
Gachagua also dismissed the investigation ordered by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, questioning the credibility of past police probes into similar abuses.
He challenged Kanja to first release the findings of previous investigations before launching new ones, suggesting that such inquiries had historically failed to yield tangible results.
Kiprotich was abducted on the night of Tuesday, September 1, by armed individuals along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road.
However, in a relief to colleagues and family, The Standard Group confirmed on Wednesday morning that the editor had been found safe and abandoned near Masinga Dam in Machakos County.
The media house expressed relief at his safe return following the harrowing ordeal.
Meanwhile, the National Police Service issued a statement on Wednesday evening acknowledging the incident and confirming that it had moved swiftly to establish the circumstances surrounding the abduction.
The NPS reiterated that kidnapping and abduction are treated as grave offenses due to the threat they pose to the lives, liberty, and security of Kenyans.
Inspector General Douglas Kanja had directed immediate investigations to determine what transpired, including the identity of the heavily armed individuals reportedly seen forcing occupants out of a vehicle.
The police also confirmed that their Anti-Abduction Unit, specifically established to handle such cases, had taken over the probe and was working to ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice.
