‘The equipment was sold in Tanzania’ – Iko Nini’s Mwafreeka details how podcast thieves were caught
By Dan Kauna, July 10, 2026Kenyan content creator Mwafreeka has opened up about how he tracked down a gang that broke into his studio and stole equipment worth over a million shillings.
Speaking on the Too Personal with 2Mbili podcast on July 9, 2026, the media personality explained how a smart tech investment and swift police action saved his business.
Tracking the suspect to Tassia
The robbery happened on a Sunday, and without technology, Mwafreeka admits he would have been left clueless. “I bought a Google Nest. This is the CCTV that captured those guys as they were entering. And that is the only reason I was able to know who had robbed the studio. Otherwise it would have been impossible,” he said.
Using that footage, they started looking at other security cameras around the neighbourhood. They spotted a black car where a man alighted, physically matching the first person who entered the studio holding a torch on the night of the robbery.
By Thursday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) helped secure the car’s registration number plate.
The next day, Friday, Mwafreeka joined detectives on a drive to Tassia to find the suspect. “We were going to Tassia, cause that’s where the guy who owns the car, that’s where his phone number was. When we couldn’t get him, the cops went into their database and pulled up the vehicle’s registration details,” he recalled.
Cross-border ring and out-of-court settlement
The tracking led to a cross-border syndicate operating between Kenya and Tanzania. “So it was a gang of 4 (people). 2 are Kenyans, 2 are Tanzanians. The equipment was being sold in Tz (Tanzania). Their phones were pinging in Arusha,” Mwafreeka revealed.
Shockingly, the stolen gear was bought by a fellow industry player. “The items had already been sold. But you also have to blame the content creators, because it’s another content creator who bought stolen equipment,” he added.
The equipment was initially worth Ksh1.2 million, but the podcast host says shifting market prices after the Iran War pushed the replacement value to around Ksh1.5 million.
After the arrest, they opted for an out-of-court settlement. “When the guy was arrested, we were able to negotiate and settle it out of court. So he’s been paying me. He paid me the last instalment early this month,” Mwafreeka said, noting he recovered around Ksh1 million worth of the stolen equipment.
He praised the police for their efficiency and warned fellow creators to secure their premises, noting that thriving production studios are increasingly becoming major targets for criminals.
“Anyone who has a studio, just be careful. The more that content creation is making money, the more that our studios are becoming targets.”