Kenyans on Thursday gathered in Nairobi to celebrate the life of the fallen legend, Bob Collymore who had impacted positively on their lives.
Speaking during the Memorial service at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, Transport Principal Secretary (PS), Esther Koimett who spoke on behalf of the government said that Collymore had a people centered kind of management where he made people feel cared for and understood.
Koimett stated that the Safaricom CEO led by example by creating intimate relationship with the customers, government and Safaricom dealers by meeting them daily which not only provided opportunity for growth of Safaricom and the country at large but also created a pathway for his juniors to learn and excel.
“He explained to his employees on the need of making productive contacts with the customers on various settings be it in the matatus, shops and in their work,”Koimett said.
The Business Community Representative, Patrick Quarcoo eulogized Collymore as a hero who was more of a friend than a leader and had great passion for customers with a goal of changing lives by offering Safaricom services to meet people’s needs.
“Collymore made Safaricom an intimate and inseparable part of our life since he made it easier for customers to access opportunities, share their feelings, buy goods and services, transact business and pay salaries through Safaricom,” Quarcoo said.
The Safaricom Chairman, Nicholas Ng’ang’a noted that Collymore performed his duties with integrity and transparency and redefined Safaricom operations from a telecommunication firm to a company that provides a platform for solutions in Agriculture, health and education.
“He came up with the idea of MPESA Kadogo, saying that MPESA is not a success because of the people who carry out large transactions but because of those who transact the little amount. This was with a purpose of creating equal access to the opportunities provided by modern necessities such as mobile connectivity and data,” Ng’ang’a said.
The Jamii Telcom Chairman, Joshua Chepkwony who represented the Telecommunication community remembered Collymore as an icon who worked to transform Kenya in more than one way as he mobilized all stakeholders to unite in problem solving.
“He was a founder of Kenyans for Kenyans which helped in solving famine in the country, Founding Trustee of The National Road Safety Trust to deal with the problem of road carnage and spearheaded initiative through the diabetic management institute,” Chepkwony said.
The former Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph lauded Collymore as the strongest man ever as he fought cancer with humor.
The Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair said that Bob was a great human being and a perfect example of how a good life can be led.
“Bob was a great leader because he was unafraid to take up positions, unafraid to stand up for what he believed in and because he got things done and countered challenges positively,” Blair said.
By Peter Ochol/Philly Opere
