He calmly told us, “If I get three more days, I will be lucky.” We asked what we must do, should we part. “Stay together, stand by Wambui,” he said.These were the words of Radio Africa CEO Patrick Quarcoo who was a member of Boys Club with the late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore. He was speaking on the Mr. Collymore’s last wish for his friends to his wife Wambui Kamiru.
Wambui Kamiru is the woman who stood by the late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore in his battle against a vicious cancer of the blood.
Mr. Quarcoo went on to write that: “He made us smile when he said, “I don’t know about this heaven and earth thing, but I truly hope there is a life after death.” We asked why. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, “If there are ghosts, I will come and rustle the curtains and on birthdays when you light the candles for my children, I will come and help blow them out.”
SEE: Bob Collymore’s family, children, profile
In a 2018 interview, Collymore said, “When I told my wife that I am going to London, she said, ‘When are we leaving?’ and I asked, ‘You’re coming?’ to which she replied, ‘Of course I’m coming.’ I asked her, ‘When shall we book your return flight?’ And she said, ‘The same time as you.’”
This was after Collymore was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer that required him to go to the UK for treatment. The doctors estimated that it would take about nine months for him to complete the treatment.
SEE MORE: Bob Collymore knew he wouldn’t make it past July
It takes a strong, loving woman to support her husband through such a difficult time. Wambui went to London for those nine months and, according to Collymore, she is “…a fantastic lady who stuck with me, she went to London, stayed through that miserable winter that we had and she was there every day. Wambui made a big sacrifice.”
Bob met Kamiru, the founder of The Art Space gallery in Nairobi, during a fundraiser for survivors of the Loreto Convent Msongari school bus crash that occurred in July 2011.
The two, who were both divorcees, lit social media with photos looking lovey-dovey, and they were branded couple of the decade.
The two wed in April 2016, and the simplicity of the wedding caught the attention of many Kenyans. To some, it was unthinkable that a man of Collymore’s stature could have such a simple wedding. The bride wore a simple white dress which matched perfectly with her groom’s white shirt and trousers. Wambui Kamiru had stolen the heart of one of Kenya’s eligible bachelors.
Some went on to attack her relationship with Collymore to which she responded with a post on Facebook.
“My marriage to the man that I love and respect had some interesting effects on the conversations on Twitter and Facebook (these may be obsolete by the time you are reading this). However, for a few days there, lots of Kenyans talked about “tribalism” and some admitted their desire to leave and go to another country because of how unbearable it can sometimes be to live in a society where people first judge you by your “tribal” origin. A lot of people refused to be part of the conversation, arguing that it should no longer matter. These people are the reason why we will still have a country to call home,” read part of her message. Collymore was a step-father to her twin daughters.