Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore (pictured) agreed to extend his stay at the helm of the operator for an additional year and will now depart in 2020, Reuters reported.

The executive had been widely expected to stand down in August, but at an event reportedly said he “owed” the company and had been persuaded by the board to stay on.

Last month, rumours emerged Safaricom was struggling to find a successor authorities in the country and management could agree on. The Kenyan government was apparently keen on a national being appointed, criteria not met by the company’s preferred candidate.

Collymore was set to quit this year after suffering health issues at the turn of 2018. He has been in charge since 2010.

Under his watch Safaricom has rapidly extended the reach and scale of its mobile money platform and maintained its position as Kenya’s largest mobile operator.