Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich was working on an investigation into an alleged compensation scam involving Mau Forest evictees shortly before he was abducted.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 2, Gachagua alleged that thousands of people evicted from the Mau Forest had been denied millions of shillings in compensation, with the funds allegedly diverted to government officials through intermediaries.
Gachagua claimed Kiprotich had been preparing to travel to the Mau Forest to investigate the allegations and publish an exposé detailing how the compensation money was allegedly misappropriated, leaving affected families without the funds.
The former Deputy President also questioned the decision by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to order investigations into Kiprotich’s abduction, arguing that previous investigations ordered by the police chief into alleged abuses had not produced publicly known findings.
He called on Kanja to release the results of earlier investigations before ordering another probe into the journalist’s abduction.
Kiprotich was reportedly abducted on Tuesday night, September 1, by armed individuals along the Gilgil-Nakuru Road.
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The Standard Group confirmed on Wednesday that the journalist had been found safe after he was reportedly abandoned near Masinga Dam in Machakos County.
The media organisation said it was relieved to confirm that Kiprotich had been found following the incident along the Gilgil-Nakuru highway.
The National Police Service subsequently said it had taken note of reports concerning the alleged abduction and launched efforts to establish what had happened.
The NPS described kidnapping and abduction as serious offences because of the threat they pose to the lives, freedom and security of Kenyans.
Kanja directed police to conduct immediate investigations into the incident, including establishing the identities of the heavily armed individuals who were reportedly involved and determining the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s disappearance.
