50 Years Behind the Mic: Fred Obachi Machoka

Fifty years in broadcasting is rare anywhere. In Kenya it belongs to one man. On this celebratory edition of Jeff Koinange Live, Jeff welcomed Fred Obachi Machoka to the bench, joined by comedian Churchill, musician Nameless (fresh from his own 25 years in music) and former rally ace Patrick Njiru.

The mood was set from the first minute, with Obachi dancing to his own music and the bench in stitches. Asked whether he ever imagined lasting half a century, he laughed: "I didn't know I would get to 50 days."

The real story is how it started. Before radio, Obachi spent four years in the General Service Unit as a signaller, carrying communications sets in the Northern Frontier District. His break came by accident: he won a radio in a listeners' competition, and the producer told him he had a voice for broadcasting. A short sponsored segment followed, paying more than his salary as a soldier. "There's no danger in broadcasting," he joked about his career change.

He also explained the title that has followed him for decades: "The Blackest Man in Black Africa." As a schoolboy he watched a teacher mock a classmate for her dark skin. She never came back to school. He decided then that he would turn the insult into a badge of pride. "I hope that I've made Black people proud," he said.

For the rest of the bench, this was a tribute to the soundtrack of their childhoods. Churchill remembered villages gathering around one television on Sundays to watch Music Time, and said he once prayed to one day do what Obachi was doing. Nameless recalled the first time he saw "this guy, Black like me" on screen.

Along the way came stories of first salaries, a first car bought for 5,000 shillings, and radio licences in the days of the Voice of Kenya. The night ended with a plug for Obachi's 50th anniversary concert on Saturday 10 October.

Continue with Part 2 on Citizen TV.