This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
On April 1, 2016, Robert 'Bob' Collymore, the then-COO of Safaricom, married Wambui Kamiru in a highly anticipated wedding at an upmarket residence in Kitisuru.
The invite-only ceremony was attended by prominent figures in the industry, including Radio Africa CEO Patrick Quarcoo, Scangroup CEO Bharat Thakrar, and top media personality Jeff Koinange.
However, the couple's happiness was short-lived as they faced intense scrutiny and criticism from the public, with many taking to social media to express their opinions.
Wambui responded to the backlash in a heartfelt letter titled 'A Letter To My Children,' where she addressed the controversy surrounding their marriage and its impact on Kenyan society.
She wrote, 'My marriage to the man I love and respect had some interesting effects on the conversations on Twitter and Facebook... However, for a few days there, lots of Kenyans talked about 'tribalism', and some admitted their desire to leave and go to another country because of how unbearable it can be sometimes to live in a society where people first judge you by your 'tribal' origin.'
