Acting Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph is under fire from Kenyans online over some remarks he made during the memorial service of the late Bob Collymore.
Speaking during the event held at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on Thursday, Joseph described Collymore as a “white man in a black body.”
“Over the last 15 years I went from being amused by this white man in a black body pretending to be a very serious corporate person to really becoming a serious corporate leader,” said Joseph.
Kenyans on social media have criticized Michael, accusing him of making racist remarks.
Blogger @RobertAlai tweeted: “According to Michael Joseph, no black man can have the compassion and other positive mannerisms of Bob.”
He added: “Now you understand why no Kenyan is allowed to be Safaricom CEO? It’s the racist mindset of people like Mike.”
@KenMortician noted:” MJ called Bob Collymore ‘a white man in a black body’ and that racist holds more than 5 top positions in this country.”
@raymondmtetezi said:” Michael Joseph while eulogizing Bob Collymore, said Bob “was a white man in a black body”…what !!OUTRIGHT RACISM!!!May Bob rest in peace.”
@NdunguWainaina said: “”Bob was a white man trapped in a black body”, Michael Joseph. This is abhorrent racism.”
Responding to the tweets, Joseph said Kenyans missed the point as the remarks were supposed to be humorous.
“You missed the point and the humour!” Michael tweeted.
Collymore succumbed to cancer on Monday morning at his house in Nairobi and was cremated on Tuesday in a private ceremony.
He is survived by his wife, Wambui Kamiru, and four children.
The first thing we have to…
The first thing we have to correct here is the institutionalized lies. “White man in a black body “- There is no “white man” only a red man.
Calling a red man white is promoting racism and superiority narrative. Here comes Michael Joseph,the so called “White man” (biblical Edormite) looking down on the black man. Mr. Michael, we all know the relationship of the Edormites-The current day Roman Empire and the blacks from Imperialism,colonialism, neo-colonialism, multi-corporation, world order/disorder.
What to you was civilizing Africans, to us it was slavery and theft of our human and natural resources.
Our leaders and role models in our community, have been terrorists in your eyes; Mr Michael, words do not have the same meaning to a black man as to a “so called” white man.
What you call humor in this case is racism and claim of superiority
To the “so called blacks” your humor is our tragedy and unhappiness.
I refer everyone to the 4th of July address by Frederick Douglass “What to the slave is 4th of July”
In the American constitution, today the black man is 3/5 of a white man. (Still trying to further that narrative of superiority which is slowly crumbling)
You just referred to Kenyan employees of Safari Com as grandchildren who are not capable of running the company.
It will be very sad if we allow anyone to call themselves superior to any other person and especially when we know their superiority has only been based on their blessing according to the bible-that is the sword/fire. The world today is too connected and exposed for anyone to claim superiority over another.
If it was meant to be humor, apologize to all Kenyan’s and denounce your superiority claim.
White men in Black bodies…
White men in Black bodies are Naturally not corrupt; unless Corrupted by some Blacks somewhere; event to their death. Collymore was Not corrupt; until Kenyans corrupted him to his demise.
That’s not humorous in any…
That’s not humorous in any way, because even if it was a joke….most jokes come from a certain school of thought and his comments basically vilifies the black man by showing that he cannot possess high standards of ethics and responsibility and accountability for him to do an excellent job like Bob did or for him to be a responsible man in society. In essence a black man does not carry such qualities which is an unfortunate thing to assume. The pigment of the skin does not define what kind of a human being you are….
He has the same Mindset as…
He has the same Mindset as Uhuru, who fished him from retirement, to head Kenya Airways. They both believe that only a White Man can successfully run a business. Black successful people, such as Collymore, are ‘freaks’, or an anomaly of Nature. Or, as Joseph put it, a white man, in a black body.
A joke saying he (Collymore)…
A joke saying he (Collymore) was in a black body but with a white man brain – is totally absurd and indicates particles of racism in his genes.
VIP Bob Collymore!
Mhh…someone please refer…
Mhh…someone please refer him to MWAKILISHI where he has plenty of supporters, i.e. those who think thievery is part of our DNA and advocate for black Kenyans to continue to be heralded by the white supremist! I don’t blame him at all for making such crude and daring remarks. Kenyans have given him a PASS to do so! Period. As long as we continue to perpetrate self hate and kiss anything Western’s bottom, then we shall continue to be treated with such contempt! We were liberated only in name but our mentality continue to be chained to the colonials. Uncle Toms’ in the making…..literally!
If this was intended to be…
If this was intended to be humorous,then Mr Joe,you have avery poor way of delivering humor.We can detect a distasteful humor this one was not.
This reminds me of when a white man heard Agrey Achimota give an eloquent speech,and remarked” that’s white man in a black skin…”.I wondering if Mr. Joe is well aware of this,and was trying make a joke out of it…But the white man in Achimota’s case was not joking.
Michael Joseph! That was not…
Michael Joseph! That was not a good comments, I really don’t understand the science of being black and white!. We all have either black or white parts in our body. You cannot distinguish a blood of a black or white person, the brain, fresh or the waste, but our stupidity hatred, worst organ called the tongue can say anything without reasoning beyond.
This comments were not joke…
This comments were not joke at all. They come from someone with a sick mindset, from a corrupt school of thought who will always look down on Wananchi solely based on their skin color. This was not a joke. Sick mentality.
Safaricom will be it’s own…
Safaricom will be it’s own undoing. Every move they’ve made for years is to take advantage of the common mwananchi, forget all the CSRs that just blind the common mwananchi. Wakenya ni watu soft sana. No wonder such a Racist can fart in our faces and get away with it. No one would accept that comment as a joke, not even in his birthplace South Africa which recently gained it’s independence. They have proposed laws on black ownership and cooporate leadership that will see the increased inclusion of black people, they wouldn’t accept such sentiments. But Kenyans ni nani, a majority will let a white man get away with whatever they want.
I agree with Michael Joseph,…
I agree with Michael Joseph, because no kenyan or black can lead a company to a success but pulling it down to nothing through self greed and coruption.
Well put.?
Well put.?
@Mgeni.. you confuse me…
@Mgeni.. you confuse me. Were you not flying his flag in another post?
@ Sukari, so sweet of you to…
@ Sukari, so sweet of you to follow my comments. I call it like I see it. I can’t stand racists. I’ve encountered them enough times to know it’s effects. At that level of leadership MJ oughta know better
That’s very true, I dont…
That’s very true, I dont know why we get hurt when white people call us what we have proved to be. We are corrupt to the core and that’s a fact and we never think about posterity. We have no legacy to leave for our children to adore. Look at the folks running our institutions. All they want to do is eat and fill their big bellies. Most black people have proved themselves Inferior to the white man and that is why we are poaching foreigners to run our institutions. Truth hurts Mia Amigos!!
That’s very true, I dont…
That’s very true, I dont know why we get hurt when white people call us what we have proved to be. We are corrupt to the core and that’s a fact and we never think about posterity. We have no legacy to leave for our children to adore. Look at the folks running our institutions. All they want to do is eat and fill their big bellies. Most black people have proved themselves Inferior to the white man and that is why we are poaching foreigners to run our institutions. Truth hurts Mia Amigos!!
That he can do it in front…
That he can do it in front of a huge black crowd that includes the president tells volumes about Kenyans – bure kabisa! Even the Chinese are doing the same and we still keep tail between our legs!
Has anyone noticed how smallish Kenyans have become of late? Ni kama kuku walionyeshewa – looking defeated, intimidated and resigned. Very sad
Robert Iyego,I support you…
Robert Iyego,I support you 100% no Kenyan can lead something and make it prosper. Ikipewa mkenya ???…ipee just one year and safaricom shall be something of the past. Corruption imemaliza wakenya?. Thank God haikupewa mkenya?
@Mgeni, I like a good…
@Mgeni, I like a good rounded overview, so I notice any flip flops! @TO, the only hurtful truth is how quick we are to step into stereotypes. Uncle Tom.
For those who are convinced…
For those who are convinced that ablack man cannot do “the job”, please tell me if its because he is intellectually inferior,or there are other underlying reasons,and if there are, why so?
I for one have always wondered about the black man’s performance. Those who follow my comments might remember that I have from time to tome challenged our intellectuals to show us what they have learned.Like I always say, over 50 years of churning our PhD graduates in our higher institutions of learning,what do we have to show for it. Arent they learning the same things other PhDSs in the west learn?
I am amazed that our able…
I am amazed that our able government has not ordered him to record a statement.
Minstry concerned should show him the door.
For some of us, this words cut like the circumcision knife directed at the core of human dignity.
The believe that we are all equal before God extends to equal with others who might think of themselves as better.
We owe it to ourselves to demand respect. Even an apology won’t do it now since he already moved it as a choke forgetting the yoke it ties on our generation and the generations after us.
This evil mind set should end with our generation.
Well ain’t we lucky it’s a…
Well ain’t we lucky it’s a free country. So many people gave up so much to have us express ourselves when and how we like. Flip flops? Nah! Don’t sweat the small stuff. Unless you just started interacting on Mwakilishi, folks comment as they go.
First let’s stop worshipping…
First let’s stop worshipping white jesus,white pope,white mary mother of Jesus n go back to our God’s who we believed in n worked for us until we started bin brainwashed by whites mentality.N yet we feel bad when Trump calls us shit holes country n our leaders do nothing about it juu we know very well yes we shit hole countries.Wr corrupt don’t invest enough in our healthcare system or school systems.We die wanting to take our kids to majuu juu we have already bin brainwashed that that’s where life begins or ends prosperity is guaranteed which is bull crap.We the blacks need to think twice about our future again i will quote we still have 85% of world resources under ground as Africa but yet we still shit hole.We can give aid to europe/South america/australia/asia as a continents if we can put our legs together but wr full of shit holes inside our brains??bure kabisa
True,Mgeni..you are right…
True,Mgeni..you are right. Equally, each to their own. I value those who stick to their stand and distrust those who blow whichever direction the wind is blasting. A man is as good as his word. Just saying. @Meck M, I hear you, but I think we gave him permission to behave like that. Now, I will go hide under a rock with frustrated angst as I recover from my good friend and brother Maxiley’s words. Max, the black man graduates with the same credentials, sometimes better, lakini our history has made us internalise the labels acquired from the colonials, hence we limit our potentials. Is it any wonder if we continue to pass the message among ourselves and to our children that we can only achieve so much? Some going as far as saying that our DNA is to blame. Until we weed out such toxic mentality, we shall confine ourselves to menial and junior posts forever and this cycle of inferiority and worship of the white man will continue to reign. That statement was made in a memorial service for Bob Collymore at a time when they should have been celebrating his achievements, but that statement was an insult and a silent reminder that Bob was just a fluke, unusual amongst black folks, for he was a white man donning a black skin according to this guy! What an insult.
Sukari IS NOT your real name…
Sukari IS NOT your real name. For all I care you could be a bot from Russia infiltrating some East African website. If you are looking to TRUST people in forums whose identity is first and foremost withheld, then you have deeper issues than we could deal with in this forum. Like I said swipe as you go. “To the left, to the left” I have not and will not snoop around to see, weigh, judge or criticize anyone’s comment, not on this forum. You’re too idle Sukari. Please find something productive to do with your time.
Mgeni, thank you, I take…
Mgeni, thank you, I take that insult as a compliment! I clearly touched a nerve and we all know there is nothing worse or more painful than nerve pain. I am not looking to trust anyone baby, but flip floppers on a public forum or not are just plain irritating. Grow some balls and know when to pick your battles. Time on my hand? Damn right as enjoying my off and browsing along at my leisure, not kissing some wh**te but and flip flopping when the wind blows there and here! Get my drift? (Oops, sorry, no pun intended). If I am idle, that makes the two of us, as you are clearly rising to the challenge judging my your quick responses! Ha, ha, ha! Ati “Russian infiltrating some E. African website”! That encapsulates how inferior you are limited to your village mentality that a black brother/sister can not reign. I am sorry for your ill educated arse darling! FLIP-FLOP, PATA PATA, PATI- PATI…za bata!
Sukari get a shrink or…
Sukari get a shrink or better still. Please get a dick. I won’t engage with simpletos like you. Sorry. Not anymore ?
First, I didn’t like MJ’s…
First, I didn’t like MJ’s remarks, though do keep in mind he clearly loved Bob. The British have a lot to unlearn, just as Kenyans have to unlearn tribalism. I hope he hears the criticism and grows.
Second, I’ve always though of my self as an African-American in a white mans body. In college I was the only white member of the black cultural society. I feel more at home with Africans. It’s the truth.
Mgeni, I don’t need a d*ck…
Mgeni, I don’t need a d*ck nor would I want to take yours from you (clearly not functional, at least not in the sense we equate it to men’s maturity) especially with a full functioning opposite of that organ that God so lavishly blessed me with. Looks like you are the one in need of one sweetheart…. can’t take the heat? Then don’t come for me unless I sent for you! Flip flop, flip flop…I can hear the footsteps loud and clear! Bye Uncle Tom!