The phone went dead, and with it, hope flickered like a candle in the wind, only that this time, the wind was gathering pace.

It was 9:20 pm on Tuesday when Standard Group Senior Editor Alex Kiprotich made his final desperate call to the company’s Head of Security, Tom Kipyegon. The editor’s voice was frantic, barely coherent, shouting that he was being abducted in Gilgil. Then silence. The line went dead. Kipyegon tried calling back repeatedly, but each attempt was met with nothing. Minutes later, Kiprotich’s phone was completely switched off. The nightmare had begun. And the nightmare’s name was Kenya Police.