This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
On July 4, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the memorial service for Bob Collymore at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, where his wife Wambui eulogised him using his own words.
Wambui read out a speech that Bob Collymore had given to a group of schoolchildren in 2013, drawing from Dr Seuss' book. The speech was an inspiring message to the children, which Bob had titled 'A person's a person no matter how small.'
Before reading out the speech, Wambui said that Bob had left when the applause was loudest, a phrase that he had got from Ghana's former president John Mahama.
During the eulogy, Wambui paused to convey gratitude to a stranger who had reminded her of the kind of man that Bob had been. The stranger, an elderly gentleman in a bright orange jacket, had stood by the side of the road and shouted, 'Bob we love you. You have done well. Go well Bob!' as the convoy made its way to Kariokor for Bob's cremation.
Wambui read out a speech by Collymore that set out to encourage the children to be the best version of themselves, despite their circumstances. The speech told the story of an elephant that helped some little people stuck in a roll of dust, who were ignored by other animals. The story taught that 'a person's a person, no matter how small.'
Collymore had gone on to tell the story of his upbringing, and how he had been brought up in poverty at his grandmother's house together with other children whose parents could not take care of them. He had said how he often woke up drenched after one of the kids had wet the bed that they shared.
He had ended the speech by encouraging the children to endeavour to do the best and speak up if they feel that something is not fair. He advised the children never to apologise for their circumstances, and told them to believe in themselves and stand for what is right.
