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Fred Obachi Machoka: I became a journalist by mistake
23rd January, 2026 04:16 PM
Veteran journalist Fred Obachi Machoka revealed on Friday, January 23, 2026, that he became a journalist by mistake.
Speaking on a local TV show, Ombachi stated that he was previously a General Service Unit (GSU) officer before he transitioned to become a journalist.
“Mimi niliingia katika fani ya utangazaji miaka mingi iliyopita, mwaka wa elfu moja tisa mia na sabini na sita. Niliingia kwenye fani hii kimakosa. Nilikua nafanya kazi kwenye jeshi la polisi katika GSU. Nilikua kwenye section inayojulikana kama signals department.” Obachi explained.
Loosely translating to “I entered the broadcasting profession many years ago, in the year nineteen seventy-six. I entered this field by mistake. I was working in the police force within the GSU in the section known as the signals department.”
How he joined radio
He went on to explain that he was a big fan of radio and used to participate in radio competitions and specified one that was called ‘Sanyo juu Sanyo Tops”
It was there that he won one of the competitions and had to travel all the way from Wajir to pick it. On arriving, he met a producer who, after conversing with him, asked him to participate in another competition where they were hiring professionals who had experience with signals.
“I used to participate in radio programmes by writing letters and answering questions so that I could win prizes in radio competitions, especially in a programme known as ‘Sanyo Juu, Sanyo Tops.”
“I was stationed over in Wajir. I wrote a letter, answered the questions, and was later announced as the winner of a radio competition. However, because I couldn’t come right away, I came to collect my radio prize later when I was on leave,” he further remarked.
He added that he made recordings of a few short episodes and later resigned from his job to focus on practising journalism.
Obachi said that in December 2026, he will be marking 50 years as a journalist.
