He is known for his fearless—and often abrasive—online commentary, but Andrew Kibe has admitted to a rare moment of sheer terror after being swept up in a Tanzanian military dragnet.
In a candid interview with media personality Chris the Bass aired on Friday, January 9, 2026, Kibe detailed a “nightmare” experience that saw him arrested and detained by the Tanzanian army.
The incident, which took place during the height of the 2025 anti-government protests, began as a seemingly innocent road trip to watch a pool tournament with a friend.
“My friend came to my house drunk and told me we should head to Tanzania to watch pool because our teams were there,” Kibe narrated.
“I got carried again, as usual, and went.”
The journey took a dark turn at the border when Kibe’s friend confessed he lacked the required travel documents.
Despite Kibe’s initial optimism that they could “just cross,” the pair were intercepted by the military just 27 kilometers before reaching Arusha.
The lack of stamped passports was enough to land them in a police cell, but the situation quickly escalated.
Amid the political tension of the “Gen-Z” protests gripping the region at the time, authorities became convinced they had captured foreign agitators.
“They arrested us and handed us over to the police, and we spent the night in the cells,” Kibe stated.
“They would come and say we are the ones bringing trouble in Tanzania.”
While being interrogated, Kibe’s greatest fear wasn’t the uncomfortable cell, but his own digital footprint.
Fearing that his reputation as one of Kenya’s most polarizing and critical social media figures would lead to treason charges or prolonged detention, Kibe tried to “hide” his identity from the officers.
“While I was there I was hoping these guys do not look at my social media,” Kibe noted with a shudder.
“Mimi nilikuwa najificha (I was hiding) because I knew if they looked at my social media, it would explode.”
Kibe revealed that the authorities allegedly intended to hold them in “shadow detention” until January 15, 2026, as part of a strategy to keep suspected activists off the streets while the government worked to restore order.
The YouTuber’s account highlights the extreme sensitivity of the Tanzanian security apparatus during the recent unrest.
While Kibe is now safely back in Kenya, the experience has served as a sobering reminder of the thin line between “internet fame” and “political target” in East Africa’s current climate.
