Steven Jacob, a 35-year-old preacher and pastor of Huduma ya Kristo [Ministry of Christ] in Arusha, was abducted and later dumped by his captors on May 17, 2025, in the West Kilimanjaro Forest in Kilimanjaro.
Jacob was taken around noon on May 16, 2025, as he was returning from taking his children to the clinic for vaccine shots. Upon his return, a white Toyota Land Cruiser blocked his way, and men forcibly placed him inside the vehicle.
Speaking to reporters, Steven Jacob’s father, Jacob Gumbo, who is also a preacher at Huduma ya Kristo church, said that before the abduction, they had been informed about an inspection by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs. These officials visited, took photos, and left, saying it was part of the church registration process.
“In the morning, he called and told me that some people from the Ministry of Home Affairs were coming to inspect the church premises, since we were registered but hadn’t received our certificate yet,” Gumbo said. He explained that one of the two visitors took pictures of their premises, seeming to just familiarize themselves with the location.
“About two or three hours after the inspection, a Land Cruiser arrived. That’s when I heard someone shouting, ‘I’m being kidnapped! I’m being kidnapped!’ I picked up a stone and smashed the car window,” Gumbo continued.
Steven Jacob, who was later dumped in the West Kilimanjaro forest about 200 kilometres from where he was abducted, said his captors demanded that he delete certain content from his YouTube channel, Huduma ya Kristo.
Jacob has a reputation for strong political messages in his videos. His latest prophecy, titled ‘There are seven actions that Lissu will undertake to bring down CCM’, which went viral after his abduction, warns about ‘prophetic events’ in the lead up to the election and Tundu Lissu’s arrest. While he warned about electoral violence, he also called on the ruling party to hold new competitive primaries for presidential candidates.
While most Tanzanians are religious, there is sometimes a blend of personal opinion and religious conviction. Recently, there has been a resurgence of ‘doomsday prophets’ who warn of various issues concerning Tanzania’s political leadership. Most of these prophets post their messages on social media and YouTube.
Jacob also said that his captors wanted to verify some items from his prophecies, but he was not ready to share the exact items of interrogation, citing ‘using wisdom’.
“There were about six of them; They took me to like a room I think was an office, and they interrogated me while beating me on my ankles, legs, buttocks, and back. They were questioning me about my preachings shared online,” Jacob explained.
In his ‘prophesies’, Jacob believes CCM’s member of parliament of Kawe, Josephat Gwajima, who is also a Christian preacher, has the ingredients of helping CCM survive the ‘doomsday’.
