Attempted cover-up? Police seek to access Kiprotich abduction CCTV footage

Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reconstruct the scene near the Gilgil Weighbridge in Nakuru County, days after Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich and his driver Geoffrey Kamau were reportedly intercepted and Kiprotich abducted. Investigators used the exact coordinates provided by the Standard Group to establish the position of the vehicle and reconstruct the sequence of events. [Kipsang Joseph,Standard]

As investigators work to identify the four police officers who abducted Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich along the Nakuru-Gilgil highway, it has emerged that police officers sought access to CCTV footage held by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).

A police source familiar with the matter told The Standard that more than 10 police officers in three Subaru vehicles visited the KeNHA offices in Gilgil and demanded access to CCTV footage, the server and hard drives covering the Gilgil weighbridge and Kipipiri junction.

The officers were seeking footage from the area where Kiprotich was allegedly intercepted and abducted last week on Tuesday night.

According to the source, KeNHA engineers declined to provide the footage, saying it had been archived and stored at the authority’s central ICT centre at its headquarters in Nairobi.

“Kenha officers stood their ground and told the police that all footage is archived and stored in the Nairobi central ICT centre at KeNHA headquarters,” the source said.

The officers were reportedly advised to obtain a court order and have their superiors write formally to KeNHA management requesting the footage.

“Kenha told them to go get a court order and tell DCI bosses to write an official letter to KeNHA bosses requesting for the footage. A court order should accompany their letter. The Data Protection Act is very clear on what, why and how information collected from CCTV cameras is used,” the source said.

The officers reportedly left with still photographs after failing to secure access to the archived footage.

As of Tuesday, The Standard had established that KeNHA had not received a formal request from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) seeking the CCTV footage.

The development comes amid growing focus on CCTV recordings from the Gilgil weighbridge, which could provide crucial evidence on the events leading to Kiprotich’s abduction.

Standard Group lawyer Gordon Ogolla said the company had formally requested access to the footage but had yet to receive it.

“It appears that we are having a problem getting the CCTV footage from KeNHA. On Saturday, we went to the Gilgil weighbridge, but we were informed that the responsible personnel would have given us that footage while in Nairobi,” Ogolla said.

He said the delay had raised concerns about whether there was pressure being exerted on KeNHA officials or whether the authority was simply reluctant to release the recordings.

“It appears that either someone put pressure on them not to release the footage, or they are just merely reluctant to release the footage,” he said.

Ogolla said the footage would be important to the investigation because it could help establish what happened at the scene and identify vehicles involved in the incident.

“The footage will also confirm that indeed that incident took place there. The footage will confirm the identity of the motor vehicles that were involved,” he said.

Meanwhile, investigating officers DCI and Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) separately visited the Standard Group headquarters along Mombasa Road on Tuesday and obtained certified copies of dashcam recordings relating to the incident.

The officers were received by Standard Group Head of Security Tom Kipyegon and spent about an hour reviewing the recordings before obtaining certified copies for their investigations.

Two DCI officers spent about 25 minutes reviewing the footage and asking questions to Kipyegon, who accompanied them during the viewing. IPOA officers later reviewed the recordings and took notes as part of their investigations.

Among the issues examined were the time of the incident, its duration and whether the recordings were of sufficient evidential value to aid the investigations. The officers did not address the media.

Investigations are focused on identifying the four armed men who allegedly intercepted Kiprotich and his driver, Geoffrey Kamau. The suspected officers were wielding AK-47 rifles and threatened to harm the duo during the incident.

Investigators have already collected fingerprints from the vehicle and recorded statements from Kiprotich and Kamau. They have also visited the scene in Gilgil and later travelled to Machakos County, where Kiprotich was abandoned near Masinga Dam.

Yesterday, a vehicle bearing registration details similar to those of a vehicle allegedly used during the abduction was reportedly found in Kajiado County. However, the motor vehicle is a different make than the one used in the abduction.

The DCI forensic team began processing evidence three days after the abduction. During the visit to the Gilgil scene, investigators examined circumstances surrounding the interception, including the movement of vehicles along the highway and the role of traffic officers stationed in the area.

The circumstances have raised questions about how the armed men were able to execute the operation at the busy weighbridge without an immediate police response despite their presence at the area.

The CCTV footage from the weighbridge is expected to be important in establishing the sequence of events, movements of vehicles and possible involvement of other individuals.

A retired DCI detective had earlier told the Standard the dashcam footage would undergo forensic analysis to establish the identity of those involved.

“The dashcam that recorded the incident will be analysed and processed by experts to establish the identity of the abductors,” he said.

The retired detective said IPOA should play a central role in the investigation if serving police officers are found to have been involved.

The abduction triggered widespread condemnation, with the Kenya Editors Guild describing it as a serious escalation in the intimidation of journalists.

Kiprotich was abducted shortly before 9.20pm on Tuesday while travelling to Nakuru along the Gilgil-Nakuru road. He was later found abandoned near Masinga Dam in Machakos County.

The incident came barely two months after armed men travelling in a Toyota Probox allegedly attempted to intercept him as he drove to work in Nakuru on June 27, 2026. The vehicle used in that incident was reportedly traced to the National Police Service’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen condemned the latest abduction, describing it as “embarrassing and barbaric”, and urged the Inspector General of Police to enhance security for journalists ahead of the 2027 General Election.

On September 2, the National Police Service ordered investigations into the abduction in Gilgil, Nakuru County.

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