This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
On July 1, 2019, Safaricom's former CEO, Bob Collymore, passed away after a long battle with leukemia. His position was left vacant, and Michael Joseph was appointed as the acting CEO.
However, a series of tweets posted on Safaricom's Twitter account sparked controversy, with some users accusing the company of suggesting that the government should focus on other state-owned companies rather than addressing its own issues.
The tweets, which have since been deleted, read: "Let the government focus on its own affairs in Muhoroni, NHIF, Mumias, Kenya Airways and other companies before thinking of running Safaricom."
Safaricom has since apologized for the tweets, stating that they were an error and have been corrected. "Subalkheri. Tunaomba radhi kwa jumbe kadhaa ambazo zilichapishwa kwenye ukurasa wetu jana usiku, tulikuwa na hitilafu za kimitambo lakini kwa sasa imerekebishwa, Asanteni," the company said in a statement.
It is worth noting that the government had previously stated that it would not appoint a new CEO for Safaricom, and instead, would focus on addressing the company's issues.
