Safaricom boss Bob Collymore dies of cancer

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore has died. A statement by the mobile service provider, said he passed away at his home this morning.

Safaricom, which started as a Department of Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation before it went private in 1997 and later converted into a public company with limited liability, in 2007 launched the famed M-Pesa, a mobile phone-based money transfer and financing service.

In the statement the company said in October 2017, Collymore went to the UK to receive treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and returned in July last year to resume his duties as CEO.

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore passed away at his home this morning

Our beloved CEO @bobcollymore has passed. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, our colleagues, partners and the nation at large. pic.twitter.com/NHxgWAemcT

— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) July 1, 2019

“He has been undergoing treatment for this condition since then in different hospitals and most recently at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi,” the statement said.

The statement added that in recent weeks, his condition had “worsened and he succumbed to the cancer at his home in the early hours on Monday.”

Collymore leaves behind a wife and four children.

“On behalf of the board of Safaricom.plc, we extend our deepest condolences to his family, staff, partners and the nation at large who he served selflessly and with joy,” Safaricom chairman Nicholas Nganaga said.

Featured image: The late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore (Twitter)