Bob Collymore was undoubtedly a great man. Throughout 2011 a devastating drought was searing the country.
It was variously described as the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in six decades. The drought had left more than 3.75 million Kenyans were with no access to water and food. More than 385,000 children under the age of five were suffering acute malnutrition.
Despite the apparent emergency the Kenyan Government and international donor community had slow in providing assistance and releasing funds to alleviate the impacts of the drought. Such was Bob’s soul that his love for humanity would not let the challenge go unanswered.
The first conversation I ever had with him was about getting media support for his noble idea of running a Kenyans for Kenya campaign where the private sector and individuals would contribute funds to support those whose livelihoods had been devastated by the drought.
He then led us to the most successful and impactful fundraising initiative in the history of corporate Kenya. Bob was also extremely supportive during my tenure as CEO of Nation Media Group.
One distinct thing about Bob was his genuine interest in seeing other businesses thrive We did a deal early on that if we got it wrong in our coverage of Safaricom, he would never threaten us in any way as long as we met and agreed on a way forward. Throughout my tenure, we never faced an issue we did not surmount.
Bob was also very engaging. He possessed a great sense of humour and was very passionate about Kenya.
I was convinced that after he retired he would remain in this country that he much loved and whose citizenship he had acquired. He was a ‘real’ Kenyan who truly wanted the best for the country.
He came into shoes that were ‘too big to fill’ but after a short time, he was wearing an entirely different pair.
We will dearly miss him as a great family friend. May your soul Rest In Eternal Peace Bob. Till we meet again.