Safaricom is the leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya.
Joseph took the opportunity to thank journalists and expresses his regrets to those he had crossed paths with in his 10 years at the helm of the most profitable company in the region.
“This is my last official public function. But I am not going away; I will sit on the board. I will be giving Bob any advice at any time. You will be meeting me. I will be available for you for interviews on any controversial issues,” he told a horde of writers who attended his farewell party.
After holding the reins of the telecommunications company for the last decade, Joseph who officially retires on November 1, said it was hard for him to let go.
“It’s difficult. I have run this company for 10 years; I have been involved in every single aspect of this company; I’m very much a hands-on person and to step back from it all…. it’s quite difficult,” he admitted.
Joseph assured the company’s long-serving employees that the company would not be affected by the transition.
“Everybody is always worried when something new happens and of course so many of these people have been with me for a long time, but I have tried to assure them. The reason I chose Bob (Safaricom incoming CEO Bob Collymore) is because I didn’t want to have a major change in the company,” he added.
To make his departure a little easier for himself, “MJ”, as Joseph is popularly known within the media circles, said he would move away from his Westlands-based office for a few weeks.
“I’m running away until Sunday and then on Monday I am going to South Africa, where I am on the board of Vodacom and I will be there for a week. I will then come back for the announcement of our results,” he said.
He will then proceed to the US where he is scheduled to give a talk at the World Bank in Washington DC, and then to Seattle where he is expected to give a presentation at the Bill Gates Foundation.
While he acknowledged that it would take time for him to adjust to his new schedule, he was certain that more opportunities would come his way and keep him busy.
Joseph, an electrical engineering graduate, has been the face of Safaricom and the announcement in July that his tenure would come to an end caused jitters among investors and shareholders who weren’t sure how the company would fare under a new leadership.
As he bows out Joseph, who has fought many battles to ensure his company retained its market leader position and helped put Kenya on the world map with the mobile money transfer service M-Pesa, said he would like to be remembered as a man who ran Safaricom with a “great deal of integrity”.
Collymore said; “Thank you for what you are handing over to me. Thank you for your support. Where Michael has left this company, I think anyone taking up this role would succeed,” said Bob.
BRIAN ADERO in Nairobi, Kenya
