Citizen TV News Anchor Jeff Koinange has come out to reveal that deceased Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore was aware of his impending demise and was ready for it.
Speaking on Day Break show on Monday, the prominent media personality narrated his last moments with Collymore during a lunch get-together at his (Collymore’s) Nairobi home on Saturday June 29, 2019.
Jeff Koinange on Bob Collymore’s death: A number of us had known this was coming…Bob had informed us.
We knew he was not going to last very longHe had been told by his doctors not to make any long-term plans… #DayBreak pic.twitter.com/qOnD1yG5Yj
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 1, 2019
According to Mr. Koinange, Collymore had previously revealed to him as well as a few close friends that he had been informed by his doctors that he did not have a long time to live.
The Jeff Koinange Live host however stated that the news did not shake Collymore’s spirit, adding that he was prepared for the end.
Jeff Koinange: Safaricom was in the process of naming a new CEO because he (Bob Collymore) informed those in charge that he was not going to make it for the whole year that was extended to him.
They had a successor and were going to name one this week #DayBreak pic.twitter.com/PeiU1IQpei
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 1, 2019
“He kept saying ‘I’ve lived a good life, I have some regrets, it’s not a perfect life…nobody’s perfect, but I’m ready now.”
Koinange added that, occasionally during the get-together, Collymore would experience some pain on his spine and get up and stretch before sitting back down to engage with them.
Later on in the evening, he (Collymore) walked them back to their vehicles and, as they left his home, they promised to visit him again during the course of the week; only to receive a call Monday morning that he had passed.
Koinange also narrated his first ever meeting with the deceased back when he used to host a TV show at another media house.
He revealed that he at first thought Collymore was a bodyguard to then Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph who was his guest on the show on that day since he (Collymore) had earpieces on similar to ones worn by security personnel.
It was only after the interview that Michael Joseph, now Kenya Airways Board Chairman, introduced Collymore to Koinange as an employee at their Vodacom offices in South Africa.
“Weeks later they make the announcement that MJ (Michael Joseph) has done his 10 years and his successor is about to be named…and the successor appeared on the screen; it was that ‘bodyguard’,” said Koinange.
