Safaricom’s CEO Bob Collymore Dies of Cancer

Safaricom Plc, Kenya’s biggest telecoms company has said it’s Chief Executive Officer Robert William Collymore died Monday morning after a long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

He was 61 years old.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing away of Robert (Bob) William Collymore, CEO of Safaricom Plc, which occurred at his home in the morning of 1st July 2019,” the firm said in a statement.

“He fought this cancer with great courage, with everything he had, and he continued to give leadership to the company, for which we are truly grateful,” said Safaricom Chairman Nicholas Nganga during a media briefing on Monday.

Michael Joseph the former Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom condoled the demise of Bob as a person who understood the telco’s DNA and took it from where it was 9 years ago to what it is now. “Bob understood what the DNA of Safaricom was all about and took it to another level. We all experienced his enthusiasm, greatness, and affinity with people. I think this is what has driven this company,” he said,” he said. 

“You’ve all experienced Bob, his largeness, his enthusiasm, his greatness, his affinity with people and I think that’s what has driven this company and what Bob has done for this company,” Michael Joseph

“As a country, we’ve lost a distinguished corporate leader whose contribution to our national wellbeing will be missed,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement posted on State House Kenya Twitter account.

The Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr. Patrick Njoroge in his condolences he said, “Bob led Safaricom from November 2010, and helped make M-pesa and its associated products a core part of Kenya’s payment infrastructure. Through his leadership of the company at a crucial time., Bob helped position Kenya as a global leader in financial inclusion.”

Collymore leaves behind a wife and four children.