Aliased 'the blackest man in black Africa', veteran journalist and show host Fred Obachi Machoka is a proud owner of an exclusive ranch in the serene escarpments of Kisaju along the Kitengela-Namanga road at Isinya, Kajiado County.
Christened Fred's Ranch and resort, the cowboy-themed entity specialises in barbecue cuisines and boasts activities like horse riding, quad biking, picnicking, farm tours and a vibrant children’s playground.
Uncle Obachi’s son, hotelier Victor Machoka, is the managing director of the ranch and is popularly referred to as ‘The Sheriff’ thanks to the traditional sheriff’s badge he dons to designate his post. In 2015, the 34-year-old turned down a six-figure income to pursue this family dream as reported by The Standard on January 10, 2018.
Starting out, the concept of the resort was vaguely discussed between Victor and his family, however, with support from the legendary journalist they set out a journey into the hospitality industry.
In May 2015, they decided to test drive the out-of-town getaway and held an event dubbed Labour Day Barbecue.
The event was graced with over a hundred people who turned out to have fun despite the heavy rains.
"The morning of the event, it rained, heavily. We were so frightened that no one would show up. But we got close to 100 guests who ended up happily playing football and volleyball in the rain," Victor was quoted by the publication.
"People stayed on even after darkness fell and we used our car headlights to light the place because we weren't connected to electricity. It was one of those moments when you just know you’re onto something special," he added.
Victor intimated to The Standard that he had used his savings for the startup, and after a good stint for the remainder of 2015, a Ksh4 million funding from Uncle Obachi facilitated the official launch of the resort in 2016.
"By the end of December 2015, we had hosted a few more events including a Christmas Day Family Fun Day. My dad was convinced enough to secure a loan from a Sacco and invested Ksh4 million into the business. We officially launched Fred’s Ranch In February 2016," Victor revealed.
Today the ranch boasts a wide range of services and events.
Fred's ranch offers the ideal environment for family getaways, birthday party services, weddings, social retreats, sporting, and physical engagements, and accommodation.
The veteran radio presenter rears dairy cattle at the ranch, which add to the excitement of the ranch as some people find joy in a case study of the ranch.
Following its rise, Fred's ranch played host to Raila Odinga and members of the ODM party on September 10, 2017.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has also been a guest to the ranch among other Kenyan celebrities including, Willy M Tuva, Willis Raburu and Daniel 'Churchill' Ndambuki.
Here are more photos of the ranch: