Fred Obachi Machoka

Fred Obachi Machoka is the Radio Citizen presenter behind Roga Roga, the rhumba programme that runs on both Radio Citizen and Citizen TV. In October 2026 he was still described as the current host of the show, which centres on African music and especially rhumba from the 1980s and 1990s.

Before broadcasting, Machoka was a police officer. He joined the service in 1972 and spent about four years there, including time with the General Service Unit in the Northern Frontier. He was a keen radio listener and entered radio competitions. Winning the Sanyo "Juu Sanyo Tops" contest took him to Nairobi, where a producer noticed his voice and asked whether he would consider radio work. He went on to the Voice of Kenya (now KBC), where his programmes included Seng'enge ni Ng'ombe and Sportsman ni Sawa Hasa, and he also presented on television. In 1988 he set up a venture called FM 35. He joined Radio Citizen in 2002.

His work has been recognised several times. He received the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) in December 2021 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Annual Journalism Excellence Awards in 2023. In July 2026 the Media Council of Kenya honoured him for 50 years in broadcasting, and a Machoka @50 concert was held at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi on 10 October 2026, with Koffi Olomide, Mbilia Bel and Sam Fan Thomas billed to perform.

There is one open question. In September 2026 former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko described the October event as a retirement celebration, while other coverage called it a 50-year celebration and did not mention retirement. Royal Media had not announced an end to Roga Roga at the time of writing, so treat his on-air status as unconfirmed beyond early October 2026.