July 1, 2024, marks five years since former Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore passed away in 2019 at his Kitisuru home.
Collymore, who would have turned 66 succumbed to leukemia. And his wife, award-winning artist Wambui Kamiru, 42, has honored him through social media posts.
“At about this time five years ago, I had just got to Lee Funeral home. The body remembers, and the love remains constant,” she wrote on Instagram.
She also posted white flying dove emojis on X, signifying a wish for the departed to find peace in the afterlife.
Here are some facts about Bob Collymore:
- Marriage and Kids
Collymore and his third wife, Wambui, wed in an exclusive ceremony on April 1, 2016, in Kitisuru, Nairobi. This was five years after they met in Nairobi during a fundraiser for survivors of the Loreto Convent Msongari school bus crash in July 2011.
He became stepfather to Wambui’s two kids, twins, from her previous marriage with Joseph Kinyua.
Before his marriage to Wambui Kamiru, Bob Collymore was married to Claire-Bishop Collymore, with whom he had two children, James and Sarah.
- Succession Battle
After his death, Wambui Kamiru and Claire-Bishop were involved in a vicious succession battle over his considerable estate, which he declared worth Sh277.3 million in 2015 His assets were spread across cash, real estate, cars, and shares in various companies.
Bob Collymore had two wills: one dated January 13, 2018, for his estate in the United Kingdom (UK), and the other dated April 18, 2018, for his properties in Kenya.
Claire, Collymore’s ex-wife, accused Wambui, the estate administrator, of not disclosing accurate asset details and withholding funds for their daughter Sarah.
At the time of the lawsuit, the estate had reached Sh9M in owed child support.
Wambui defended herself, stating she followed both the UK will and the Kenyan will which provided for Collymore’s dependents. During the dispute, Collymore’s son, James, sought to remove Wambui as administrator, alleging she may have mishandled his father’s UK assets.
The legal dispute over Bob Collymore’s estate was resolved with a private mediation agreement on July 15, 2022, with undisclosed details.
- Career
Kenyans mostly know Collymore from his capacity as Safaricom CEO from 2010 to 2019.
Before joining Safaricom, he worked in various positions in the telecommunications industry in the UK, including Cellnet, Dixons Retail, and Vodafone UK.
In 2003, he moved to Japan to manage the integration of J-Phone into the Vodafone Group.
In 2006, he became the Governance Director for Africa at Vodafone and its subsidiary, Safaricom, before being appointed CEO of Safaricom in 2010.
By Vivian K.