Bob Collymore smiles from heaven! Jeff Koinange fulfils his last wish

Piece by: Grace Kerongo
Lifestyle

The late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore is smiling from heaven after Citizen TV's Jeff Koinange fulfilled his wish.

Collymore, in his now-famous last interview on the live show, asked Jeff to host female executives who are shaking and moving the industry.

“Promise me that you will do that (host female corporate leaders). In my company, we have some great women, Debrah, Rita, Sylvia. They have a lot to share... and please call us and let us watch the show,” Collymore asked Jeff life on air.

Jeff fulfiled that request.

Weeks after his send-off, Jeff hosted Serah Katusia, Managing Director at MediaCom, Jane Karuku the CEO Kenya Breweries Limited and Rita Kavashe Managing Director at Isuzu East Africa.

The top female executives were lit. The episode is said to be one of the highly-rated as the three women shared their career journey.

How they broke through the glass ceiling and are unapologetic about it.

Katusia said, “Leadership is a journey. You have to be willing to take the time and to put the effort as a woman. Sometimes women get the opportunity but do not get the space to be heard. One has to realise that leadership is not given. It is taken."

As a mother and a CEO, Karuku revealed that Kenya Breweries Limited now has 6 months of maternity leave for its female employees.

A groundbreaking move in Kenya that was lauded by many.

“I am happy I made a decision to have a family earlier on in my career. I left for a while and only came back when my children were a little older,” Karuku said.

For Kavashe, she revealed that she made many sacrifices among them was "I left when my daughter was crawling, I found her walking. I had missed a milestone in her growth."

The episode shed light into the life of a female CEO and inspired other young minds and cementing the fact that it can be done.

This was Bob Collymore's last wish that was selfless and a gift to all the young female mentees who looked to him. Savour it, young girls.