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THE STANDARD GROUP PLC PRESS STATEMENT Nairobi, Kenya September 1, 2026 STANDARD GROUP CONDEMNS ABDUCTION OF ITS SENIOR EDITOR, DEMANDS HIS IMMEDIATE AND SAFE RELEASE The Standard Group PLC confirms that shortly before 9:20pm this evening, our Associate Editor, Alex Kiprotich, was abducted along the Gilgil–Nakuru road while travelling to Nakuru. We do not know where he is as we issue this statement. This is the second time in as many months that Mr Kiprotich has been targeted. On 27 June 2026, armed men in a Toyota Probox a vehicle model repeatedly linked to enforced disappearances of government critics in Kenya, tried to seize him from his car as he drove to work in Nakuru. He got away by locking his doors and driving off. That attempt came days after President William Ruto publicly criticised this Group over its coverage, and our own investigations traced the vehicle to the National Police Service's Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau. No one has ever been held to account for it. Tonight, that threat has been carried out. We do not believe this is a coincidence. Mr Kiprotich has been at the forefront of our editorial output, including reporting that has scrutinised the conduct of the State, and tonight's abduction bears all the hallmarks of a targeted attack on a journalist for doing his job. We believe it may be linked to elements within the State seeking to intimidate this Group into silence. If that is confirmed, this is not simply a crime against one man. It is an assault on the Constitution of Kenya, on the freedoms of expression and of the media guaranteed under Articles 33 and 34, and on the right of every Kenyan to independent information. We say this plainly and without equivocation: the Standard Group holds the State responsible for Alex Kiprotich's safety and his life, and for anything that happens to him while he remains missing. Protecting the life and liberty of every citizen is the State's first duty, not an afterthought, and Mr Kiprotich's safety now rests entirely in its hands. We are demanding: 1. The immediate, safe and unconditional release of Alex Kiprotich. 2. A prompt, transparent and independent investigation into his abduction, and into why no one has ever answered for the attempt of June 27, 2026. 3. Real, visible guarantees that journalists in Kenya will be protected, in keeping with commitments the President has already made publicly and has so far failed to honour. We are calling on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the Law Society of Kenya, the Media Council of Kenya, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and everyone who values a free press in this country, to demand answers alongside us until Mr Kiprotich is found safe. We will keep the public informed as we learn more, and we will not let this matter quietly fade from view. CHAACHA MWITA, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE STANDARD GROUP PLC https://t.co/7wQQdueghe

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