His worst fear? a cat!

And it’s Bob who now sits as CEO of one of the most profitable companies in the region; Safaricom Ltd.

It’s Bob I meet in his large office, where he youthfully prances about as he talks. It’s Bob who unrelentingly makes hilarious off-the-record, tongue-in-cheek quips, it’s Bob who pokes fun at some of my questions and who, when I ask him who he really is, says, “I’m Guyanese by birth, English by nature and African by…” then struggles to define his African disposition before eventually saying, “You are the writer, let’s see you complete that for me...”

But most surprisingly, the self-assured and suave Bob I meet admits, unashamedly, that his greatest fear are cats.

.....................................

What was the most dominant thought that went through your mind the first day you took over this office?
I was bemused. Bemused by the attention the media was according this take-over. Understandably, the expectation of Kenyans was very high.

Rumour has it that you play some fancy musical instrument, which one is it?
I wouldn’t really say, I play an instrument because I’m not any good at it, so I play in the privacy of my house where no one can listen.

I play the saxophone and drums. I love music; every room in my house has some music or the other. I listen to classical and jazz.

You have a son and an adopted daughter, what informed your decision to adopt?

Yes. My son is 18 and schools in the UK. We adopted my little pumpkin, Serah (4 years old) in South Africa because we felt that lots of orphaned kids in SA needed a home.

Going by that pink shirt, you come across as a guy who loves clothes. Are you a trendy guy?

I’m 54; I can’t use the word trendy to define my style. In fact, you can’t be trendy at my age, it’s undignified.

But, I’m very particular about my taste. I only buy my shoes from three shoe makers; Charles Church, Bromui and the ones I’m wearing now (he raises his feet in the air for me to see) Barker.

My suits are from Gieves and Hawkes, my shirts and cufflinks are all from Thomas Pink.

You are a trendy guy, Bob, you just don’t know it. What’s the fascination with flying? Do you own a chopper?

No, I only hire them. I have always been drawn to aerial sports and for a while, I engaged in some of them, you know, like skydiving and all. But you grow up and you adapt to more family engaging sports.

I decided to learn how to fly in SA and got my licence. Choppers are more versatile and challenging to fly.

So, you zip to Baringo South for lunch at 12.30pm at are back in time for a 2.50pm meeting with some Chinese engineers? How much does that cost?
(Laughs) No, I wish! I’m currently trying to convert my license from SA to a Kenyan licence. But it’s quite expensive to hire choppers here. In fact, what I spend most on is…(then conspiratorially) Wait, my wife is in the UK now, will this interview go online?

Of course not! (A lie)

At something like Sh35,000 an hour, hiring a chopper is one of the things I spend most of my money on.

What does your wife do?

She is a mother (Pause). And a housewife.

You are active on Twitter; you have over 38,000 followers yet you only follow 100 people. That math seems off, Bob.

That figure, 100, will never change.

It will never be 101 or 99. If I meet someone interesting that I want to follow, I will always bump off someone else in order to add the new person. If you are boring, you will be replaced and over time I have bumped off Richard Branson, Lord Sugar, Pierce Morgan and Barack Obama.

You bumped off Barry! So who is the most interesting person you are following locally now? And no, you can’t say, your chum, Jeff Koinange.

(Grins) That will be Robert Alai. I don’t always agree with everything he says but I respect the fact that he says it like he thinks it . And he will pick a fight with anyone and won’t let go. Plus he breaks news.

Hey, nice timepiece.
Thanks, it’s a Breitling, a gift from my wife. How much was it? Uhm, I think the equivalent of Sh200,000 or thereabout, not sure.

What do you drive?

I have a Land Cruiser VX, a Range Rover - Super Charger and a Toyota Harrier, which I will often use over the weekend, great for anonymity.

What do you drink and where do you hang out?

I hardly hang out because people will always walk up to chat and you can’t be rude, you know. Once in a while I will nip into Sevens Restaurant across the street for one drink after work.

But I prefer to drink my whisky at home because there aren’t many places that stock a good variety and besides, they are overpriced in the pubs. I stock 28 different brands of whisky at home.

Reading anything currently?
Yes. Kenya, Between Hope and Despair by Daniel Branch.

About that cat thing, you fly a chopper and yet you fear cats. Make us understand.

People fear spiders, others fear snakes. I fear cats. (Shrugs)