This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
Safaricom Names Peter Ndegwa as First Kenyan CEO ¶
Kenya's largest telecommunications company, Safaricom, has clarified reports that its board members disagreed over the appointment of Peter Ndegwa as its chief executive officer.
Outgoing acting CEO Michael Joseph acknowledged that the company has been making unanimous decisions over the last 19 years, but did not divulge details on how the board arrived at Ndegwa's appointment.
Joseph said the company has been expanding its territory to find a suitable candidate, and that it was difficult to find a Kenyan with the necessary experience to run the company.
He added that the new CEO has to understand the company and take the new phase forward by improving customer experience, financial expansion, and unexpired data and calls packages.
Joseph also acknowledged that it was the right time to have a local at the helm of the company, saying he believed the new chief would do the right thing for the company, its shareholders, and Kenyans.
He further stated that it was time for Kenya to have a Kenyan CEO, and that the company's founding CEO, Bob Collymore, did not run a big corporation, but he turned the company around.
The company's board of directors named Peter Ndegwa as its CEO on Thursday, October 24, making him the first Kenyan to hold the position.
He will join Kenya's most profitable company on Tuesday, April 1, 2020, to replace the late Bob Collymore who died of acute leukemia on Monday, July 1.
Joseph has promised to guide Peter Ndegwa to ensure his success as the company's new chief executive.
A file photo of Peter Ndegwa who will join Safaricom from Diageo International Europe.
