This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday eulogised Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore as a special friend who left huge footprints in Kenya. Speaking during a memorial service for the fallen business titan, President Kenyatta said Kenya has lost part of its 'soul' through the death of the late Collymore who died of Leukemia early Monday.
Collymore, who served as Safaricom CEO for nine years, had a profound impact on the country's telecommunications industry. Under his leadership, Safaricom doubled its clientele from 15 million users in 2010 to over 32 million in 2019.
President Kenyatta remembered a three-hour afternoon meeting he recently held with Collymore where they discussed a range of issues covering the President’s legacy, and the intensified fight against corruption and the great dreams, hope and vision that the late executive had for Safaricom.
“Bob loved Kenya as his own country. He loved Safaricom as his own company. We have lost part of our soul,” said President Kenyatta when he joined family, friends and the country's top business executives at a memorial service held at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
Former Vice Presidents Moody Awori, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Musalia Mudavadi attended the memorial service alongside a host of other political leaders. Deputy President William Ruto said the late Collymore was a courageous leader, in a class of his own, who had become a great inspiration to many Kenyans.
The memorial service was characterized by an outpouring of moving tributes from family members and close confidants. British High Commissioner Nic Hailey spoke on behalf of the diplomatic community while politician Peter Kenneth represented his close circle of friends.
