Want the ushago feeling? Try Fred’s Ranch

To usher in the new year, my family and I decided to visit this place that was highly recommended by close buddies.

“It is along the Kitengela-Namanga road. We might as well set out for a road trip,” my mum told me.

One thing about my mum, she is a road trip fanatic.

It was a lengthy journey and considering where we were coming from, it was quite an adventure.  

Located in Kisaju, Isinya, Kajiado county, the Fred’s Ranch and Resort, a family-owned business, sits on over 10ha of land.

The ranch is run by media personality Fred Machoka, his wife Sophie Machoka, and his three children Marvin, Victor and Angela Machoka, together with Victor’s wife Linda Machoka.

Just as its tagline states, it really feels just like Grandma’s.

The ranch is run by Victor Machoka, who is the managing director.

Victor tells me the ranch started out with a small kitchen area before it started expanding to its current size.

“My parents have had this land for many years. We are talking about since the 90s,” Victor said.

“When they moved here, they embarked on a little bit of farming. This attracted a lot of visitors to the ranch, who enjoyed sightseeing and farm excursions. The remaining question was: Why not have people come in to also eat and we can make money out of it?”

Victor said the ranch was officially launched on February 14, 2016, as his parents’ brainchild.   

As a hotelier and an IR expert by profession, Victor oversees the day-to-day running of the ranch.

“My mum is the landscaper here and she knows every tree on this ground by name. She planted almost every tree here by herself,” he said.

Fred, Victor said, is a man who loves meeting new people and enjoys their company.

As part of his daily routine, he makes sure he visits every table and ensures the visitors enjoy their stay at the ranch.

“We want to make people feel like they are home, that’s why our tagline is ‘Feels just like Grandma’s,’” he added.

He said business has been good and has been gradually growing over the years.

The biggest challenge they have experienced since they started the business, however, is funding and growing the business from personal finances.

“It has been a bit hard advancing the business without help from financial intermediaries. We have had minimal help from banks, but most of the finances have been from the pocket; from mum and dad’s pockets, mostly,” Victor said.

He said despite the gradual growth, customers bear with them and their small space.

“When the guests see that things are slowly developing, they understand we are still growing,” he said.

Victor also said the ranch has grown based on referrals, which have gained them popularity.

He said 98 per cent of people who walk into the ranch are, most of the time, referred by someone, as in my case.

Apart from funding, the Covid pandemic also posed a challenge to the growth of the ranch.

“Getting the right people who understand your vision and are patient to grow with you was also a challenge,” Victor said.

He said they grow organically and every year, things are different.

“We usually work and finish with square one and then move on to square two. What we have here now is not what you will see when you come back in December 2023.”

Fred’s Ranch is home to a number of social amenities and funfair activities.

These include a conferencing hall, a restaurant, an open bar, a swimming pool, a basketball court, wedding and team building grounds, a football pitch, fun-filled gardens for kids, a mini forest, open lawns and even horseback riding spaces.

“We also do educational farm tours, where guests come and see intensive dairy farming, poultry farming and come and see how we grow our crops,” Victor said.

Food prepared and sold on the ranch is grown organically,

“Our food is farm to fork. 60 per cent of what is on your plate is from our farm,” he said.

Victor said the neighbouring community has been very cool, caring and friendly.

He said they work together with the community members and the area chief, who have also been to and toured the ranch.

Some of the staff members hired at the ranch come from within the community.

Fred’s ranch also has an established school of hospitality, where students are trained and offered scholarships.

Having started in 2021, the Fred’s Ranch School of Hospitality has a total of 20 students so far.

“We offer diploma and certificate courses in the front office, food production and beverage service sales, as well as food production,” Victor said.

“With our schools, 50 per cent of what students are taught, they practically do it here at the restaurant and the ranch itself. We also absorb some of them.”

In a week, Victor said they receive close to 100 guests walking into the farm.

“We have guests who come in from different parts of the country, some even come in choppers and land in our helipad. We don’t charge extra entry fees to the ranch,” he said.

Victor’s favourite routine on the ranch includes playing basketball, taking a quick shower, jumping into the pool, getting a cocktail, sitting by the garden and watching the sun go down.

Apart from nyama choma, which is their signature meal, they have some really delicious mouth-watering mbuzi choma alongside other traditional dishes.

From the serene environment to a lovely staff team, to good Rhumba music (played for the better part of the day) to an authentic ushago farm feel, if you do decide to go for a road trip, take the underpass to Kitengela on Mombasa Road and go have yourself some nice experience at Fred’s Ranch.