Media Council of Kenya honours Fred Obachi Machoka for 50 years in broadcasting

Veteran Radio Citizen presenter Fred Obachi Machoka has been honoured by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) for amassing 50 years in the broadcasting profession. 

Speaking during the launch of the recognition, MCK Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo confirmed that the main celebration event would be held in September in Nairobi, commemorating Machoka and other media voices that have shaped Kenya’s media space since independence.

He added that the event would also commemorate individual excellence, institutional platforms for preserving Kenya’s broadcasting heritage, and the inspiring of the next generation of media practitioners.

"Leo tumeweza kuzindua mpango maalum kwanza kusherehekea yeye ambaye ni kigogo katika utangazaji na uanahabari na pia kusherehekea vigogo wengine. Tunapoanza katika sherehe tunayopanga September ambapo tunasherehekea RogaRoga, kuna kamati ambayo itafanya mambo hayo," Omwoyo stated. 

In his speech, Machoka noted that his alignment with MCK is aimed at enhancing the professional environment for future journalists. 

"Tumekuja hapa siku ya leo ili tuweze kutayarisha namna ya kuweza kusherehekea, sio miaka 50 pekee ambayo nimekuwa katika utangazaji bali pia kwa uhusiano wa MCK kuona ni vipi ambapo tunaweza changia ili tuwe na mazungumzo dhabiti ambayo yanaweza kuweka mwanahabari katika hali ambayo sio ya wakati anastaafu," he noted. 

"Pia kuangalia ni vipi tunaweza kuchangia ili tuweze kukuza kipaji cha utangazaji na uanahabari kwa jumla." 

Machoka, famous for his Roga Roga show that runs on both Radio Citizen as well as Citizen TV, has become a staple in the media industry, blending Rhumba music with captivating skills to engage audiences across the globe.

Prior to the media space, Machoka served as an officer in the General Service Unit (GSU), which he left in the 1970s to pursue broadcasting after participating in a radio audition. 

Owing to his decades of exemplary service to the media industry, former President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded Machoka the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) in December 2021.