A day after reports emerged of the imminent departure of Safaricom chief executive Bob Collymore from the trillion shilling firm, the company’s board said it has not yet made a decision on the matter.
In a press statement signed by Safaricom Board Chair Nicholas Ng’ang’a, the company said that Collymore still remains at the helm of East Africa’s most profitable firm.
“… the board is encouraged by the quick recovery of Bob Collymore who remains firmly in charge and is doing a great job of leading our company,” Ng’ang’a said.
On Monday, Reuters had reported that a succession row could be in the offing as Collymore was set to leave the giant telco due to medical reasons.
Citing two unnamed sources, the international media agency had reported that Collymore would not renew his contract and was instead going to focus on his health. Reuters placed the Guyana-born businessman’s exit for August.
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The Safaricom head had taken a nine month medical leave in late 2017 and headed for the United Kingdom so as to fight cancer. Recently, he told Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinange that he was feeling “pretty good” regarding his health.
Regarding the Reuters report, the Safaricom board said no decision had been made yet as to the future of its CEO. “This will be subject of deliberation by the board and once a decision is made it will be communicated at the appropriate time.”
The telco which rules the roost among Kenya’s mobile subscribers also added, “For clarity, the Board has in place a robust recruitment process that adheres to global best practice in identifying and appointing our senior leadership team.
Reuters had stated that the announcement of Collymore’s successor was being delayed because the government was insisting that a Kenyan takes the helm. The international news organisation even quoted ICT CS Joe Mucheru saying he would be “surprised” if Safaricom did not land on a Kenyan as its next CEO.
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