Bob Collymore, the chief executive of one East Africa’s most successful companies, Safaricom, has died, the company has announced.
In a brief statement the Kenyan company said he died of cancer on Monday morning at his home.
“In October 2017, Bob proceeded to the UK to receive treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and returned in July 2018 to resume duties,” it adds.
He was receiving treatment since then but “in recent weeks his condition worsened”.
Mr Collymore became Safaricom’s chief executive in 2010 and helped maintain the company as the regional leader in mobile services, including the payment system Mpesa.
Kenyans pay tribute to top telecoms boss
“Bob Collymore” and “Rest in Peace” are trending on Twitter in Kenya as people share news that the chief executive of Safaricom, one of the region’s most successful companies, has died of cancer at the age of 61.
In a statement, President Uhuru Kenyatta described him as a “visionary and exceptional leader”.
Deputy President William Ruto has called him “exemplary, brilliant and courageous”.
Others have described him as a “legend” and having a “brilliant mind”.
Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga says that Mr Collymore “sustained us as a communication hub in Africa”.
Last year, Safaricom was named by Forbes magazine as the top employer on the continent.
Mr Collymore told the BBC’s Money Daily programme that the secret was that Safaricom invested in people adding that companies “need to give people meaning and purpose”.
He also had advice for young employees: work hard and align your values to the values of the company.
BBC