Safaricom CEO Collymore Knew He Had Less Than a Month to Live, His Friend Jeff Koinange Says

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore knew he had less than a month to live, one of his closest friends has disclosed.

Collymore succumbed to cancer on Monday morning at his home in Nairobi at the age of 61.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing away of Robert (Bob) William Collymore CEO of Safaricom PLC which occurred at his home on the morning of July 1, 2019,” Safaricom announced in a statement on Monday.

Kenyan journalist Jeff Koinange, a close friend of Collymore, said he had a chance to share his last moments with him.

Speaking on Citizen TV's Day Break show, Koinange said Collymore’s doctors had already advised him against making long-term 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," said Koinange.

"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,” added Koinange.

The Citizen TV news anchor also noted that Collymore's health status worsened in the recent weeks and his body was not responding well to treatment.

“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 live when we bade him bye,” he said.

Koinange also pointed out that Collymore had requested Safaricom to look for his successor as he would not manage to complete the one-year contract handed to him in May.

“He did inform those in charge to name his replacement, they were in a process of naming a new CEO, he told them that one-year extension they had given he was not going to make it,” Koinanage noted.

Collymore is survived by his wife Wambui Kamiru and four children.