Abduction trap: How weighbridge police colluded with attackers in Kiprotich's abduction

Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich was abducted by state operatives along the Gilgil–Nakuru Road on August 01, 2026. 

Barely 100 meters away from the Gilgil weighbridge station in Nakuru, where police stand guard in the full glare of six CCTV cameras, Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich and his driver Geoffrey Kamau lived through one of the most chilling experiences of their lives.

In a dramatic scene that continues to raise questions about the safety of everyday Kenyans, armed men ambushed their vehicle at a strategic choke point along the busy highway.

The perpetrators had chosen the spot with surgical precision.

High, steep road shoulders trapped Kiprotich and Kamau's car, cutting off any chance of driving off the tarmac to escape.

Within seconds, the assailants forced their vehicle to a stop, harassed the duo before bundling Kiprotich away.

They then executed a swift U-turn toward Nairobi in the full glare of menacing cameras at the weighbridge.

It was not until Saturday, four days after the Tuesday night abduction, that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations finally visited the scene where the crime took place.

"The regional DCI requested that we bring them to the scene of the abduction so they can reconstruct what happened. The exercise has taken place, and we are proceeding as required."

"We have just noted that there were six CCTV cameras just in front of where this took place. We have been able to talk to the ICT manager at KeNHA, and they promised they will be able to give us the footage when we formally request it." Lawyer Gordon Ogolla said.

Questions surrounding the choice of the exact spot where the incident took place continue to put the police on the spot.

Standard Group's Head of Security Tom Kipyegon raised concerns that seem to allude to a well-executed plan.

"The scene reveals how everything seemed to have been planned. This incident seemed to have been planned far in advance," Kipyegon explained.

"They made sure to stop them at a choking point where the driver could not escape because of the high shoulders of the road. It was also very strategic for them to quickly turn around and head back toward the Nairobi direction."

While the stretch of the road looks calm and safe, surrounded by the expanse of undeveloped private farms during the day, it becomes a nightmare at night, especially when you helplessly watch the very people who are supposed to protect Kenyans look away.

It is a stretch that disguises disorderliness and insecurity, the same stretch that has become the most dreaded, synonymous with traffic jams along the Naivasha-Nakuru highway.

Over the past few days, DCI has come under sharp criticism over delays in investigations.

Despite the incident being reported on Tuesday night and the subsequent recovery of the victims and their vehicle, the DCI had yet to dust the vehicle for fingerprints or record statements from the victims, and the exercise took place on Friday.

Kipyegon noted that, although marred by delays, the investigations are slowly gaining momentum.

"This incident took place on Tuesday, and today is Saturday," Kipyegon said.

"Now the police are starting to build up efforts toward looking into this matter. We are here to let them reconstruct the scene, but one very critical element we retained as part of our management and protection of our people is that we provided the exact coordinates. With that kind of help, the police are now able to place our vehicle where it was stopped, and where the perpetrators alighted."

On Saturday, the Standard Group team visited the Gilgil Weighbridge station offices to understand the reliability of the cameras mounted on the highway.

They discovered that the cameras belong to KeNHA, and that a private contractor is responsible for managing and servicing them.

However, they discovered that while the control room is in place, no one is manning it.

"So, these cameras, though they are there, may not help in a real-time situation to protect life and secure Kenyans. You talk about resources put in place, but there are no proper plans to use them for their intended purpose." Kipyegon noted

Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich at the Standard Group Center on September 02, 2026 after he was abducted along the Gilgil–Nakuru Road by armed men alongside his driver on August 01, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

He said that the company is making requests to KeNHA to provide access to full footage that can be corroborated with the evidence to demonstrate that Kiprotich was abducted.

"This is opposed to what machinery related to the government is pushing, that Alex staged his own abduction. That is now very clear, and we wait to see the stakeholders step up and unmask the perpetrators behind what could be a much larger syndicate."

"The ball is now in their court, and time is ticking," Kipyegon added. "Doing a reconstruction so many days after the incident is a disservice to the citizens of this country in terms of national security.” He said.

Meanwhile, five days after the abduction, pressure is mounting on the National Police Service (NPS) to apprehend the culprits.

On Friday, September 4, two days after the incident, the forensic department of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) lifted fingerprints from the vehicle Kiprotich and Kamau were driving at the time.

The two recorded statements at the Rift Valley Regional Directorate of Criminal Investigation offices in Nakuru, following pressure from the Standard Group, the media, and human rights organisations.

Julius Chepkwony, a reporter with The Standard who reported the incident at Gilgil Police Station on the night of the abduction, also recorded his statement.

DCI officers at the scene where Standard Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich was abandoned in Kiangeni, Ekalakala Village near Masinga Dam, Machakos County on September 5, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

A team of senior Standard Group management, accompanied by DCI forensic officers and officials from the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), visited the abduction scene in Gilgil yesterday, and later proceeded to Machakos County, where Kiprotich was dumped near Masinga Dam.

The DCI forensic team began processing the evidence three days after the incident.

Linus Ogolla, a forensic expert, explained that it would have been crucial for investigators to lift fingerprints from the vehicle and analyse the scene immediately after the incident.

 “The timeline matters. If the vehicle or scene is not secured, it is likely to be contaminated. Therefore, it will be difficult to place the suspects at the scene,” he told The Sunday Standard.

 Ogolla added that identifying the culprits would take longer, depending on fingerprint analysis conducted at the Crime Registration Office or the Office of the Registration of Persons.

 “Lifting fingerprints from the car or scene of the crime is not a difficult task if you have qualified personnel. However, analysing the fingerprints can take time,” he said.

Ogolla observed that because the crime involved multiple scenes, the investigation would take time.

“The investigators and forensic experts have to visit the first scene in Gilgil and the other where the victim was dumped in Machakos County. They need to process all the scenes and analyse the evidence collected,” he said.

He noted that the validity of the evidence collected depended largely on how the evidence and the scenes were preserved.

“If the car was washed, that means the evidence was tampered with, and there will be a problem. If it was preserved well, then they might find fingerprints that will place the culprits at the scene,” he said.

The visit to the Gilgil scene revealed disturbing details suggesting the abduction was a well-coordinated operation that involved traffic officers stationed at the weighbridge.

 These new revelations surrounding Kiprotich’s abduction raise questions about how the masked men executed their plan so close to Gilgil Police Station without immediate response.

The scene analysis indicates that traffic officers along the highway, especially at the Gilgil Weighbridge, may have intentionally disrupted traffic, possibly creating an escape route for the abductors.

Crime experts state that the CCTV cameras at the Weighbridge must be examined to establish what exactly transpired.

“The dashcam that recorded the incident will be analysed and processed by experts to determine the identity of the abductors,” said a retired DCI detective who chose to remain anonymous.

He emphasised that the investigation into the journalist’s abduction must be overseen by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) for thorough results.

“If police officers carried out the abduction, then IPOA must intervene and investigate. This matter should not be left to the DCI,” he added.

On September 2, the National Police Service (NPS) ordered investigations into Kiprotich’s abduction in Gilgil, Nakuru County.

 The Inspector General of Police directed an immediate inquiry to establish what transpired, including the identity of heavily armed individuals seen ordering occupants out of their vehicle.

Additional reporting by Steve Mkawale