This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
Published on July 5, 2019, Safaricom, Kenya's largest mobile service provider, has apologized for a series of distasteful tweets suggesting that a Kenyan would run the company to the ground if put in charge.
The telco found itself in an embarrassing situation after a series of rogue messages were published on its social media handles, including one bluntly telling the Government that Kenyans appointed to several other firms had deliberately run them down.
One of the offensive tweets said the Government should first improve the management of the corporations it owns “before they can think of imposing their choice on Safaricom”.
However, the company later attributed the posts on Twitter to a system glitch, saying, “Good morning. We apologise for the series of tweets that went out from our official accounts last night. We had a system glitch that has since been rectified. Thank you,”
The messages came against the backdrop of a raging debate on who will succeed the late chief executive Bob Collymore who died of cancer on Monday.
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has voiced his preference for a Kenyan to steer the telco into the next growth phase but has at the same time maintained that the board would have the final say on the matter, alluding to non-interference by the Government in the selection process.
Former Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph has been appointed as the acting chief executive following Collymore’s death, but has said none of the people currently in management is ready to take up the telco’s reins.
Other possible contenders for the top job include Sylvia Mulinge, chief customer officer, and Sateesh Kamath, the firm’s chief finance officer, and Joseph Ogutu, director of strategy and innovation.
