The families of Madiba Sengerema (25) and Maduka Kashinje (33) have been in agony since the two brothers were abducted from their home on September 20, 2025 in Mwanza region.
The brothers, residents of Temeke Street in Nyamagana, were taken by a group of about eight armed men. The abductors first seized Maduka from his home, forced him into a white, unmarked Land Cruiser, and later returned to take Madiba.
“When they arrived here they found Maduka. They grabbed his hands and tied him up with a shirt. After they tied him, we saw them lift him up. When they lifted him, since I am a local leader, I thought maybe they were police officers, so I asked them, ‘Please listen to me, I am the area’s representative (balozi). What’s the problem? Maybe you can cooperate with me? What’s the issue?’ They didn’t answer me at all, instead, they started pacing away,” said Sapta Ali, the local area representative.
“When I said that, they even quickened their pace. A short while later, six more people appeared from the front, so in total, they were eight people who carried him away,” she continued.
The family believes the brothers, both local construction workers, were abducted due to a land transaction dispute. They claimed to have identified a woman connected to the abduction, but she was later released by police.
“Since my husband was taken away, we have been living in very difficult conditions. Up to this moment, we don’t know where we are heading or how this will end,” said Hadija Sadiki, Maduka’s wife.
“We rushed to various police stations to try to find out what happened, but we couldn’t reach any resolution, nor were we able to find our people.”
The vehicle used in the abduction was reportedly seen parked near Isamila Secondary School, the same location where CCM cadre Daniel Chonchorio was abducted in March 2025 — also involving a white Land Cruiser.
Speaking about the case, Mwanza Regional Police Commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa told reporters on October 14, 2025, that investigations were underway.
“We received that information, and an investigation has already begun. A case file was opened on the very day the incident was reported, and the investigation is ongoing. We are asking anyone who has any information related to those young men to bring it to the Police Force to help us with our work,” he said.
The abduction of Maduka and Madiba adds to the growing list of disappearance cases across Tanzania. One of the most recent high-profile incidents involved former Ambassador Humphrey Polepole.
In a statement released on October 14, 2025, the Catholic Church, through Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi, Chairperson of the Church’s Committee for Justice and Peace, called on the government to ensure the protection of all lives in the country.
“We are deeply saddened and concerned by the ongoing, unending situation of people disappearing and being abducted. These abductions appear to be orchestrated by a specific group that carries out these evil acts in various parts of our country,” Archbishop Ruwa’ichi said.”There are no visible signs of stopping these abductions, nor do we hear any condemnation of these incidents.”
“For more than two years, these incidents have continued to increase in frequency, causing Tanzanians to question how it is possible that these abductors seem to have more power than the institutions responsible for protecting the people, and even more than those in authority who are meant to bring people hope and prosperity,” he added.
