Tanzania’s influential content creators, the duo known as Wachokonozi—consisting of Joseph Mrindoko (37) and Jackson Kabalo (32)—were forcibly taken from their home in the Maji ya Chai area of Meru District, along the Arusha–Kilimanjaro highway.
Witnesses reported a group claiming to be police officers arrived on Friday, June 20, intimidating neighbors and seizing the pair into a vehicle with unidentifiable plates.
Eyewitnesses observed the group also confiscating the content creators’ electronic devices—smartphones, computers, cameras, and more—as Mrindoko and Kabalo were bundled into the car.
Despite attempts by neighbors to intervene, they were overpowered. As of Saturday, June 21, their whereabouts remain unknown.
The disappearance has sparked deep concern among family, friends, and the wider digital content community.
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The duo, celebrated for their thought-provoking “edutainment” videos, has amassed over 33,000 YouTube subscribers, using satire to critique social and political issues affecting Tanzanian society.
Their disappearance comes amidst growing alarm over a series of alarming incidents in Tanzania—including abductions, detentions, and in some cases, deaths—which have drawn reproach from both the United Nations and the European Union.
In response, the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), led by President Boniface Mwabukusi, has urged all Arusha-based lawyers to actively monitor the case and push for clarity and accountability. Mwabukusi denounced any arrest or enforced disappearance done outside proper legal processes.
Were Wachokonozi genuinely detained by police on cybercrime charges—or is this a case of forced disappearance? Their fans and families await answers.
