The late Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Robert Collymore’s contribution in the business world and beyond is one that many have come out to talk about moments after the news of his demise hit the interwebs.
The Guyanese-born British businessman succumbed to Acute myeloid leukaemia on Monday morning.
Hours before his death, Bob, as he was popularly known, spent some time with six of his friends in the corporate world among them Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinanage, whose show he graced severally when he was alive.
Read: Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore To Be Laid To Rest Tomorrow In Private Ceremony
Being a digital savvy guy, Mr Collymore often updated his Twitter handle with trending topics and his work as Safaricom boss.
Saturday, June 29, was not different. Bob had a message to the world on sexual violence.
At 11:36 am, Mr Collymore posted that he had just signed a petition to demand the criminalisation of sexual assault in Africa’s West Coast country, Senegal.
That would become his last tweet he posted.
I’ve signed @BlackQueenSN and @ONECampaign’s petition to demand the criminalisation of rape in Senegal. Together, we can put an end to gender-based violence @oneenafrique. #StopSexualViolence #Doyna https://t.co/jBxTJuyver
— Bob Collymore (@bobcollymore) June 29, 2019
The campaign run by a woman identified as Black Queen on Twitter seeks to compel the Senegalese government to criminalise rape and protect victims of gender-based violence.
Mr Collymore won’t be around to see what his efforts in the end rape culture will yield, but from the tweet, he was glad he did his part.
Earlier, Mr Koinange, one of Bob’s close friends, disclosed that the deceased knew he wouldn’t last long.
Also Read: Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore Knew He Wouldn’t Make It Past July – Jeff Koinange
According to Mr Koinange, Mr Collymore’s doctors had hinted to him that if he was going to make it past July he would be very lucky.
He says, at some point, the doctors advised the Safaricom boss not to make long-time plans.
“On Saturday I was having lunch with my mother and my sister and I told them to give me an hour to go and see my friend Bob. So a group of us of about five we had known this was coming. Bob had informed us so we knew he wouldn’t last very long. He had been told by his doctors not to make long term plans. In fact, he had been told by his doctors that if he makes it past July he would be lucky,” Mr Koinange recalled.
The anchor revealed that Mr Collymore’s body was not responding very well to treatment and his wife had requested his friends to donate platelets.
Also Read: Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore Is Dead
Bob was prepared for his death, Mr Koinange says.
“I’ve never seen anyone prepared for death as I saw in this man. We had a walk at around 3.pm and hanged up with him, he was in a bit of pain. His spine was giving him some problem. He kept saying I have lived a good life I have some regrets, nobody is perfect am ready now. He didn’t want us to leave when we bade him bye, ” he said.
A few days before his death, Mr Collymore had pleaded with the Safaricom management to name his replacement. Safaricom had extended the CEO’s tenure to make up for his sick leave.
In October 2017, Mr Collymore traveled to the United Kingdom to receive treatment and returned in July last year to resume his duties.
Also Read: Safaricom Extends Bob Collymore’s Contract By One Year To Make Up For Sick Leave
“He did inform those in charge to name his replacement, they were in a process of naming a new CEO, he told them that the one-year extension they had given him, he was not going to make it, ” Mr Koinanage recalls.
Mr Collymore’s death was announced by Safaricom Chairman Nicholas Ng’ang’a.
According to reports, Mr Collymore, who replaced Michael Joseph at the helm of Safaricom in 2010, will be laid to rest on Tuesday in a private ceremony.
He’s survived by his wife, Wambui Kamiru and four children.
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