Magoha advise the next CS not to focus on office work solely
The outgoing Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has advised his next successor not to focus on office work solely.
Speaking during the launch of the re-engineered NEMIS at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Magoha advised the next CS not to rely on information but go to the field noting that it was during fieldwork where he discovered his life after assessing the situation in the slums.
“Work is not in Jogoo House but outside. If I did not visit schools myself the job would not be done,” he said.
The Secretary of State was assigned to the Education docket in March 2019 after serving as chairman of the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) since 2016.
Magoha has been in charge of transforming the school curriculum and training instructors to follow the new CBC syllabus.
President-elect William Ruto is likely to pick his cabinet shortly after taking the oath of office assuming there is no petition challenging his election or if the Supreme Court rules in his favour if such a petition is filed.
Due to various strictures, he was dubbed “Buffalo” at university. Magoha, who was born in 1952, was the first public official to be appointed competitively when he took over as President of the University of Namibia in 2005.
He was a VC for ten years.
Magoha converted the University of Namibia, which had previously been associated with student strikes, into a centre of excellence.
His track record as a no-nonsense administrator led to his appointment as Knec chairman by President Kenyatta in 2016.
His first priority was to restructure the council, which had been devastated by years of exam cheating. Magoha put a stop to the academic dishonesty and corruption that plagued the exam system.
Magoha, whose 80-page CV includes a table of contents and the names of the 53 nations he’s visited, is credited with eliminating cartels that had spread exam cheating for years and restoring test credibility.
Knec oversaw numerous modifications, including speedier exam marking and the purchase of 415 containers to secure papers. Knec was said to have an exceptional technocrat who isn’t a pushover.
He is a man of intellectual depth and has shown management skills.
He has previously warned that schools found to be cheating will be closed and their management held accountable.
Magoha chastised parents for not spending enough time with their children in November of last year.
He blamed the failure on the high number of pregnancies recorded during the KCPE and KCSE exams.
Magoha’s three-year stint as Knec chair was set to come to an end this month. Uhuru decided to elevate him as a reward for a job well done.
Magoha previously led the Commission for University Education, a position he held from 2005 until 2013.
Magoha is a Stanford University business graduate who was conferred the Moran of the Burning Spear and Elder of the Burning Spear by Uhuru.
He is a professional surgeon who has served as president of the African Association of Medical Councils and the Kenya Association of Urological Surgeons.
