Tanzania’s Popular social media influencer duo group, going under the name of ‘Wachokonozi,’ have reportedly been abducted from their homes in the Northern Region of Arusha Region.
The duo, comprising Joseph Mrindoko and Jackson Kabalo that have been running popular edutainment programs in YouTube, Facebook and Tik-Tok, were reportedly picked up by a gang of people who identified themselves as police officers and managed to whisk the two young men away after threatening the neighbors.
It seems the people in the vicinity were trying to prevent them being taken away, but their efforts were thwarted. Kabalo and Mrindoko were driven away in a car which people could not get its plate numbers.
The incident occurred at ‘Maji ya Chai’ section of Meru District in Arusha Region, along the main Arusha-Kilimanjaro Road, where the ‘Wachokonozi,’ group reportedly used to reside and conduct their media activities.
Eye witnesses say, the people who identified themselves as the police also took away the duo’s electronic devices, including computers, smartphones and other digital gadgets.
They were abducted on Friday, the 20th of June 2025 and until Saturday 21st June 2025, there have been no reports regarding the whereabouts of the two young men.
Members of their families are worried about the safety of Kabalo and Mrindoko.
This new development comes at the time when the entire international community, including the United Nations (UN), and European Union (EU), is expressing concern over the increasing cases of arrests, abductions, enforced disappearance and even killings, taking place in Tanzania.
Wachokonozi, a duo that run social commentaries on social media platforms, so far have more than 33,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Despite being essentially new, the Wachokonozi duet commentaries have been very popular across the nation and beyond, due to their satirical approach to social issues.
The President of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), Boniface Mwabukusi has vehemently spoken against the arrest or abduction of the two young men, instructing all lawyers based in Arusha to follow up on the case and find out what exactly is going on.