This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
July 3, 2019, marked a somber day for many as news of Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore's passing spread. However, before his untimely departure, Collymore left behind a legacy of love and dedication to his family.
Collymore's family was always at the forefront of his mind. Although he kept his personal life private, the little he shared painted a picture of a proud and devoted family man.
On March 23, 2018, Collymore took to Twitter to celebrate his son's graduation from the University of London. He tweeted, “Guess whose son just received his 1st Class Honours degree in Music from Martha Lane-Fox at a graduation ceremony at London’s Barbican.”
Collymore also spoke fondly of his adopted 11-year-old daughter, affectionately referring to her as his 'pumpkin.' In an interview with the Sunday Nation, he shared, “The other significant thing that happened in my 50s is that I adopted my daughter — we have a 50-year difference between us. That was a great thing,”
Through his words, Collymore revealed a side of himself that many did not know about. He spoke about the importance of genuine friendships, saying, “I remember many years ago, Wambui my wife asked me the same question. I said I don’t and that’s why I only have one friend, unfortunately, that friend died. She said ‘Wow!’ But over the eight years of being here, we’ve seen more and more people emerge as genuine friends or people who genuinely care.”
Collymore's close-knit circle of friends, which included Patric Quarcoo, Peter Kenneth, Alykhan Sachu, Bharat Thakrar, and Jeff Koinange, was another aspect of his life that he cherished.
