- Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba sat down with Radio Jambo to address the drama that unfolded at veteran broadcaster Fred Machoka's milestone celebration
- Orwoba found herself at the centre of controversy after raising one finger for the Wantam movement during her uncle's 50th career anniversary event
- The former senator maintained that her gesture was a minor action blown entirely out of proportion, and insisted she never took the microphone or spoke on stage
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Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba has broken her silence on the incident that nearly saw her removed from her uncle Fred Machoka's event, speaking candidly to Radio Jambo on October 16, 2026.
Machoka, a veteran broadcaster, recently marked 50 years in the industry with a major celebration, and Orwoba's presence at the event quickly became headline news for all the wrong reasons.
According to Orwoba, the entire controversy boiled down to a single raised finger. She explained that she was calling out to Sifuna, a person who was present in the room, and that her gesture was a signal for the Wantam movement rather than an attempt to hijack the occasion.
"I read the room. That is why I lifted my finger. The room was calling for a certain person who was in the place and I was calling for Sifuna," she said during the interview.
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Orwoba was emphatic that she never grabbed the microphone or addressed the crowd.
"Did I hold the mic? Did I speak? My presence offended because I never spoke. I never held the mic. I just put up one finger," she said, clearly frustrated by how the moment was interpreted.
She also revealed that going on stage was not a spontaneous decision on her part.
Machoka had reportedly called his family up to the stage, and Orwoba said they had been instructed beforehand to stay close.
"He said, I want my family to go on stage. And we had been told before that you have to be closer. So we were following instructions," she explained.
Orwoba defends uncle Fred Machoka
Despite the awkward exchange, Orwoba was generous in her praise of Machoka and the event itself, describing it as the biggest she had ever attended.
"My uncle is a legend. He's done a lot of things. And that event was superb. I've never seen a bigger event like the one that my uncle put together," she said.
She acknowledged that Machoka was operating under considerable pressure on the day, and suggested that his reaction towards her may have simply been a case of stress boiling over.
"My uncle wants to be the person who... I'm the nearest punching bag. But it's okay. That's what family is for," she added with a light tone.
Orwoba also noted that Machoka is a hands-on individual who perhaps should have leaned more on those around him to share the load during such a significant occasion.
In the end, she was firm that the incident was a minor misunderstanding that snowballed into something far larger than it deserved.
Watch Gloria Orwoba's full Radio Jambo interview explaining what happened at Fred Machoka's event:
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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