Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji was kidnapped in Dar es Salaam on Thursday morning on his way to the gym.

I worked closely with Mohammed Dewji for around a year at the office of his company MeTL in Jubilee Towers in Dar es Salaam.

He has huge celebrity status in the country. You would be hard pressed to find a person in Dar es Salaam who did not know of Mohammed or the Dewji family and he would often draw large crowds at public events.

But despite his wealth and celebrity he is always incredibly relaxed in his approach to security, like the rest of the Dewji family.

He never moved with security guards or bouncers and would often pop out to the gym on his lunch break or to meet with friends after work.

In his day-to-day life he did not look like a billionaire. He is a friendly, affable young man going about his business.