Lewis Njoka @Lewisnjoka
The death of Safaricom chief executive Bob Collymore received wide local and international media coverage, with many news channels describing him as a corporate titan and a model citizen.
People Daily, the leading free newspaper in Kenya, dedicated its front page to Collymore’s death with the headline, “Bob saw his death coming”.
It carried Bob’s smiling picture and quotes from President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto, Opposition leader Raila Odinga and Safaricom board chairman, Nicholas Ng’ang’a.
Daily Nation screamed, “Death of a Titan” and also had a pullout on its sister paper, Business Daily, an image of a smiling Collymore on the cover page.
The Standard reported, “Bob was ready for last call”. Bob’s picture on its front page was accompanied by his quote — “Look, I have lived a good life. I have some regrets, it’s not a perfect life, nobody is perfect, but I am ready now, I am ready.”
The Star had “Fare thee well Bob Collymore”.
The Guardian’s headline read, Bob Collymore, Kenya’s telecoms mogul, dies aged 61. The UK newspaper described Collymore as the man who helped East Africa pioneer cashless payments long before America’s Apple Pay. The New York Times: “CEO Collymore, who built Safaricom into $11 billion Telco, dies of cancer.”
Reuters: “Safaricom CEO Collymore dies of cancer.”
CNN: “Kenya telecoms giant Bob Collymore dies of cancer at 61”
BBC: “Bob Collymore, CEO of telecoms giant Safaricom, has died”
Al-Jazeera: Bob Collymore, who gave millions of Africans banking access, dies.
