Safaricom Board Chairman Michael Joseph (PHOTO: FILE) The appointment of Michael Joseph as the chairman of Safaricom dominated news channels for the better part of Thursday. Michael Joseph, the founding Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom replaced Nicholas Nganga after over 10 years’ at the helm of Safaricom Board. But the new chairman is not new to high profile appointments, In 2014, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Joseph the Chancellor of Maseno University after retiring from Safaricom, in 2016 he was appointed the board chairman of Kenya Airways, a position he is holding to date and last year following the death of Bob Collymore, he was appointed the acting chief executive officer of Safaricom. According to his Linkedin page, he has held various positions including an advisory role to World Bank on mobile money (2011-2012), Vodafone consultant (1998-2000), senior vice president IWC (1996-1998), Director GTE Wireless (1990-1996), Proposal Manager Alta Telecom (1988-1990), Chief Estimator Pirelli Cable (1987-1988), Senior Vice President Davy Communications (1974-1986) and Technician-Engineer at the department of posts and telecommunication Cape Town (1963-1973). Three years ago, Joseph told KTN in an early morning show that despite his successful career spread over 55 years, he has not made enough money to qualify him as wealthy but neither is he poor. In 2017 when the interview was done, he revealed that he owns a car and two homes. “People think that I am wealthy, I am not, and I have been an employee for the rest of my life. Materially I am not,’ he said revealing that he has one car, a home in London and another one in Kenya’s Lewa conservancy area. He said that he was at one time very much upset when Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) said he was taxpayer of the year twice in a row. This he said created a notion that he is a rich man but he objects saying that it only means that he pays his taxes to KRA. Joseph together with five of his colleagues seconded by Vodafone started Safaricom in the year 2000 starting the company at an apartment in Norfolk towers. They took over the assets from Telkom Kenya which included 11 base stations in Nairobi. At the time he was starting the company people registered a lot of complaints in regards to services. “We did not know that Safaricom would grow to what it is at the moment, making […]
Michael Joseph: I am not successful because of money but impact
