Kenyan radio host Fred Arocho is known for his insightful football analysis. After achieving greatness on the football field, he has found newfound fame in the media. Evidence like these demonstrates that the end of a sports career need not spell doom for its victim. Fred Arocho is proof that one can go on to use other skills and still become well-known.
Family
Former football player Billy Arocho has a twin brother named Billy. He and his wife, Sophie Arocho, have four children: a daughter and three sons (Alvin, Kensley and Jayden). The couple tied the knot at the Windsor Golf Club in Nairobi, Kenya, back in December of 2008. On the Easter weekend of 2019, the couple celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.
They went to Ugenya to celebrate their anniversary by saying their vows again in front of their loved ones. Radio Jambo reports that as a token of appreciation to his in-laws, he gave them ten cows.
He stated, “It’s been 10 years since I married my wife, and this past Saturday I went to Ugenya to my in-laws, where I took 10 cows to represent the years I’ve spent with my love.”
It was a lively celebration because I invited my brothers and some of my closest friends. Several of my wife’s friends, all of whom are members of the Dynabrains women’s group, also attended,” he said, as reported by Radiojambo.
Background
The host of Radio Jambo preceded his twin brother Billy Arocho in the womb. He grew up in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood. He started his studies at Eastleigh’s Ainsworth Primary and then transferred to Pumwani High.
When Fred was seven, he picked up a football and never looked back. While still in high school, he pursued his passion for soccer by playing on two now-defunct semi-professional teams (ICDC FC and NSSF FC).
Career
Arocho took his love of soccer all the way to the highest levels after graduating from high school.
Though he had his pick of teams, he ultimately decided to sign with Sony sugar, where he has flourished as a defensive force. He eventually ended up at KCB.
In 1995, he competed in the East and Central Youth Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, with the national youth team. Because of this, he was able to test himself against some of the best players in Africa, including George Finidi and Jay Jay Okocha.
One of the highlights of my soccer career was rubbing elbows with the best players in Africa. In an interview published by Mchezo Africa, he remarked, “I stood strong and managed to stop their menace in the pitch, a thing which injected more confidence in my game.”
After a decade in professional football, he retired as captain of Re-Union FC. To further his education, he enrolled in Kenya Polytechnic and earned a Diploma in Business Administration. After that, he found work at Samchi Telecoms, where he stayed for four years.
The graduate of Kenya Polytechnic went on to found Image Creations, a mobile communication services firm. Eventually, they won a bid from Safaricom, one of Kenya’s largest telecommunications companies. They were involved in PR and communication.
To Touch Down in Radio Jambo
He watched every football game in Kenya he could. He met Carol Radul, the program controller at Radio Jambo, at one of these bouts. His incredible singing voice caught her attention, and that’s how he landed a position there.
The programs controller at Radio Jambo, Carol Radull, heard me while I was at a game at city stadium and thought I had a suitable voice for a new sports radio station. I was able to schedule a voice test and pass the interview. I owe Carol Radull a great deal of respect since she found out things about me that I had never known.
That’s how he landed a job calling games for Radio Jambo, and he’s been doing it for years with great success.
