The family of Damour Nyakairo was left in fear on the morning of May 2, 2026, after he was taken from his home in Mburahati by seven men who refused to identify themselves or explain where they were taking him.
Speaking to The Chanzo while the family was searching from one police station to another, Damour’s mother said the seven men who took her son arrived at their home in a white Land Cruiser with red number plates, plates mostly associated with charitable organizations and donor-funded projects.
“They took him away, and we don’t know where he was taken. It was around 10 a.m. He was sleeping, I woke him up and told him to go outside and fetch water since it was raining. He got up and went out to collect rainwater on the veranda, as we usually do,” Damour’s mother, Lilian Swai, told The Chanzo at around 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“Before the bucket could even fill up, we saw a car arrive and park right at our doorway. Seven people got out, opened the outer door, and then the veranda gate, and came inside. I was confused, wondering whether they were running from the rain or what. They went straight to Damour. I was right there as they grabbed him, two of them held him while another took handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed him,” she continued.
READ: Pauline Pallangyo: Lawyers File Habeas Corpus for Detained Young Woman Following Night Raid
“I asked what was going on, and they said we would find out later. When I asked who they were, they replied that we shall know. Three of them then held him, lifted him, and dragged him to the car. I tried to get in with him, but they pulled me away and told me, “You, stay there,” she added.
The news circulated widely on social media, as Damour is known for his enthusiasm for sports, sometimes working as a sports analyst, and for his involvement in hip hop circles. He is also known for his friendship with abroad-based hip hop artist and activist, Roma Mkataloki, who left the country in 2019 after surviving an abduction in 2017.
His mother was in severe shock, which left her unable to movemove around. After reporting the incident to Mburahati Police Station, her younger brother and other family members began moving from one police station to another. However, they were unable to confirm his whereabouts or who had taken him.
“My younger brother has been searching for him in police stations. He went to Central and then Oysterbay, but he wasn’t there. Now he has gone to Stakishari. He was told that if he doesn’t find him there, he should go to Segerea, and if not there, then to Tazara,” Lilian Swai told The Chanzo.
Several of his friends and social media associates visited the family on Sunday and organized themselves into groups to search for him across different police stations in Dar es Salaam on Monday. However, in a press statement released at around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, police confirmed the arrest of Damour Nyakairo and said he was being held at Chang’ombe Police Station.
‘On 2 May 2026 at around 9:00 a.m. in the Mburahati area of Kinondoni, Damour Massoumbe Nyakairo was arrested and taken to Chang’ombe Police Station on suspicion of involvement in criminal activities,” the police statement reads.
“Some of his relatives were informed after his arrest, and during initial questioning he has cooperated by providing various pieces of information. Investigative procedures are being finalized so that he can be presented before the relevant legal authorities,” the statement continued.
