Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph's Racist Remarks Spark Outrage

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Nyakundi Report

Newsroom 1 min read

Primary source Kenyan Digest archive

This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.

On July 4, 2019, Safaricom interim CEO Michael Joseph delivered a eulogy for the late Bob Collymore at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.

During his speech, Joseph described how his perception of Collymore had changed over the past 15 years, stating, "Over the last 15 years I went from being amused by this white man in a black body pretending to be a very serious corporate person to really becoming a serious corporate leader."

MJ called Bob Collymore 'a white man in a black body' and that racist holds more than 5 top positions in this country — Kenneth (@KenMortician) July 5, 2019

Many social media users have condemned Joseph's comments as racist, with some questioning what he meant by the phrase "white man in a black body."

"Always saw Bob as a white man in a black body." What did Michael Joseph mean by this statement?? — Gerald Journeyman. (@GeraldJourneym2) July 4, 2019

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