This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
On July 2, 2019, the government reiterated its stance on the succession debate for the vacant Safaricom CEO post following the demise of Bob Collymore.
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru maintained that a Kenyan should fill the position, stating, 'I don't think the government position has changed, we would still love to see a Kenyan. However like any other company, they (Safaricom) have a choice as to who they want to be their CEO.'
Mucheru's remarks came at a time when there was high expectation that a Kenyan would take over at the helm of the giant telco operator.
Former Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph was appointed as the interim CEO on Tuesday, with Mucheru commenting, 'It's not as if the company is crippled. Having Michael is a bonus for us as he has been there before and it gives Safaricom time to pick the right person to run the business.'
However, sources from the financial services sector deemed the interim appointment as shilly-shally, with the Board working to extinguish fires emanating from the prevailing shareholder clash.