Fred Arocho, a renowned football commentator and legend, recently revealed that he made the decision to quit Radio Jambo and join Radio 47 due to a generous financial package offered by the newly launched radio station.
Radio Jambo is a part of Radio Africa Group, which also owns other media outlets such as The Star Newspaper, Kiss100, and Classic 105.
On the other hand, Radio 47 is owned by Cape Media Group, which also owns TV47. Cape Media Group is founded by Simon Gicharu, the founder of Mt Kenya University.
Fred Arocho: From the streets of Nairobi to top sports commentator
Although Arocho did not reveal the exact figure, he estimated it to be above five hundred thousand, which he described as the highest salary he has ever received in his media career.
Speaking to a group of online media in Nairobi CBD, Arocho stated, “Kusema ukweli offer walinipa ilikua zaidi. Radio Jambo walikua wananilipa vizuri siwezi kataa lakini hao walipitiliza. Siwezi sema ni millioni lakini ni slightly over a half a million kwa hivyo unaeza jijazia hapo,”
Which translates to, “To tell you the truth, the offer they gave me was more. Radio Jambo paid me well, I can’t refuse but they exceeded it. I can’t say it’s a million but it’s slightly over half a million, so you can fill yourself up there,”
Arocho expressed his gratitude towards Radio Africa Group for giving him the opportunity to develop his career and for entrusting him to deliver on his mandate.
He also thanked the staff at Radio Africa Group for their role in his success at the station, with special recognition given to veteran sports journalist Carol Radull.
“I have been on the radio for 15 years in general. The second is growth. In life you cannot stay in one place for a long time. Sometimes if you stay in one place too much you feel you don’t want to move. For me it was the challenge that Radio 47 gave me and of course the package that came with that job , it’s something I’ve never seen anywhere else,” he added.
On social media, Arocho expressed his gratitude to his fans, including his one million Facebook followers, for their unwavering support during his tenure at Radio Jambo.
He acknowledged the growth he experienced as both a broadcaster and a person during his time at the station and left with pride and satisfaction.
Prior to joining Radio Jambo, Arocho was a premier league footballer who played for Sony Sugar and KCB. He was recruited by Carol Radull after she spotted him during a football match between Gor Mahia and Mathare United.
At Radio Jambo, Arocho hosted The Weekend Warm Up show on Saturdays from 11 am to 2 pm alongside Diamond Okusimba and Toldo Kuria, as well as presented sports news and commented on live football matches.
He also appeared as a pundit on Citizen TV’s Sporty Monday show during the week.
