Lyrics
Verse 1
Namtafuta bwana, yule yule wa ushindi
Mi ndo peke najua, wapi aliponitoa
Nina historia uzoefu wa ushindi
Kwa macho nimeona, mungu alivyonibeba
From zero to hero, from nothing to something
Name leo ni mtu, katikati ya watu
Hakuna kama mungu, alitamka ikawa ikatokea
Umbali tumefika, ni huyu yesu
Asingekuwa mungu, tusingefika hapa
Chorus (Repeat x2)
Nami kama akida bwana ukisema neno tu
Hapa nilipo, shida zangu zitakomaa
Yani kama akida, bwana utamke neno tu, hebu sema neno
Hapa nilipo, shida zangu zitakomaa
Refrain
Zitakoma; shida zangu zatakoma sema neno
Hapa nilipo, shida zangu zitakomaa
Zitakoma; shida zangu zatakoma bwana sema neno
Hapa nilipo, ee hapa nilipo
Bwana hapa nilipo, ee yesu hapa nilipo
Shida zangu zitakoma
Verse 2 (The Centurion's Story)
Akida aliishi na mtumwa aliyempenda
Akaugua kiasi cha atakufa
Akatuma wazee wamuite yesu aje nyumbani mwake
Ee alipotuma wazee wamuite yesu nyumbani kwake aje
Ili amponye huyu mtumwa wake
Kabla afike tena katuma wajumbe
Yesu wala usisumbue kutika nyumbani kwa akida
Sema neno tu hapo ulipo
Na mtumwa atapona
Yesu akaugeukia mkutano
Kawaambia sijaona, israeli jii yote sijaona
Imani kubwa kama hii
Walipofika nyumbani kule
Nyumbani kwa yule akida
Walimkuta mtumwa yule
Tayari kashapona
Chorus (Repeat x2)
Nami kama akida bwana ukisema neno tu
Hapa nilipo, shida zangu zitakomaa
Yani kama akida, bwana utamke neno tu, hebu sema neno
Hapa nilipo, shida zangu zitakomaa
Zitakoma; shida zangu zatakoma sema neno
Hapa nilipo, shida zangu zitakomaa
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Akida" ("The Centurion") opens with personal testimony, describing a dramatic turnaround from nothing to something and crediting that change entirely to God's spoken word. Its repeated refrain, that troubles will end the moment the Lord simply speaks a word, ties personal struggle directly to confidence in God's declared authority.
The song's second half retells a specific biblical narrative in detail, a centurion whose beloved servant lay near death, who sent elders to ask Jesus to come, then sent word that Jesus need not enter his house, only speak, and the servant would be healed. Recounting Jesus's amazement at that faith and the servant's healing before the messengers even returned home grounds the song's central refrain in a specific, remembered account rather than abstract confidence.
Sung in Swahili within East African gospel tradition, the song functions as both testimony and retold parable, using the centurion's example of faith in Jesus's spoken word to frame the singer's own confidence that current troubles will likewise end at a single word.
Related Scripture
- Matthew 8:5-10 Recounts the centurion's request that Jesus only say the word to heal his servant, directly retold in the song's narrative section.
- Psalm 107:20 Describes God sending his word to heal, echoed in the song's refrain about troubles ending at a spoken word.