Organisers of Fred Obachi Machoka’s 50th anniversary concert spent the final stretch of preparations unsure whether the event would happen at all, the veteran broadcaster has said, citing Ebola fears and the possibility of heavy rain.

The Machoka At 50 Grand Concert went ahead as planned at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi on Saturday, October 10, 2026, and Machoka used a Facebook video posted two days later to thank the fans, sponsors and well-wishers who made it possible.

In that video, he acknowledged that the weeks before the show had been anxious ones. Organisers, he said, had weighed the risk that the Ebola outbreak could force the celebration off course, even after months of preparation.

He also said the team had wrestled with two more practical worries: how a large crowd would be handled at the venue, and what would happen if the weather turned. In the end, neither materialised as a problem, and Machoka credited what he called divine intervention for the outcome.

Among those he singled out for praise were fans of his long-running Roga Roga programme and supporters of Congolese rhumba star Koffi Olomide, who turned up in large numbers. Machoka said Olomide performed for two hours and that the musician’s wife was present.

The night also featured Congolese singer Mbilia Bel, Alicious Theluji, Cameroonian musician Sam Fan Thomas, and Kenyan bands Les Wanyika and Them Mushrooms. Journalists Jeff Koinange and Churchill served as masters of ceremonies, while Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary General Francis Atwoli were among the attendees.

Machoka described the event as the rhumba concert of the decade, adding that a repeat performance was not out of the question.