Safaricom chief executive officer Bob Collymore is back at work after an extended nine month medical leave and dived straight into business by appearing before Parliament on Monday.
The giant telco chief executive announced his return on Twitter on Monday even as he was pictured at a hearing of the Parliamentary Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation which is looking into legislative and regulatory loopholes that are affecting competition in the telecommunication sub-sector.
In his absence, Safaricom has received a mixed reactions from consumers, from delight at their continual promotional activities including the M-Pesa Tu promotion, to outcry over dwindling internet bundles, unnecessary promotional messages and the SIM Swap Fraud scandal.
Safaricom’s shares have however risen 11% to Ksh28 in the past nine months.
READ : SAFARICOM RAISES ALARM OVER SIM SWAP FRAUD
On his twitter handle, Collymore had special words of gratitude for the University College London Hospital as well as his wife Wambui Kamiru for supporting him through his medical leave. He also thanked his “superb Safaricom team.”
I'm back. Thanks to everyone who supported me over the past 9 months especially the clinical team at @UCLH, my superb @SafaricomPLC team and of course my wife @WambuiKamiru
— Bob Collymore (@bobcollymore) August 6, 2018
The Safaricom CEO has been on medical leave since October last year so as to undergo specialised treatment for a condition that has yet been disclosed to the public.
The Guyana born British businessman’s last public appearance was via video link at Safaricom’s financial results briefing in May, where he said, ““I’ve just entered the final phase of the treatment and expect to be back in Nairobi as soon as the doctors feel that my immune system is sufficiently robust to withstand the infection risks associated with airline travel.”
SEE ALSO : SAFARICOM WITHOUT BOB COLLYMORE
In his absence, Kenya’s largest mobile phone operator has been supervised by chief financial officer Sateesh Kamath and Strategy and Innovation Director Joseph Ogutu.
When Collymore announced his medical leave, Mr. Kamath made it clear that the giant telco would not have an interim CEO. He also said the company had the right systems and people and that operations would not be disrupted.
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