Incredible Achievements of Top Grade Prof Magoha as Entailed in His 91 Page CV
In March 2019, Professor George Magoha, who passed away recently at Nairobi Hospital, appeared before a parliamentary committee for vetting as Cabinet Secretary for Education.
He had been nominated by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to head the expansive education portfolio at a time when the government was struggling with the implementation of the new curriculum.
At the time of his nomination, Professor Magoha was the serving chairman of the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) where he had worked with Fred Matiang’i as Education CS to implement major reforms in national exams.
He was set to replace Ms Amina Mohamed who had been moved to the Sports Ministry.
As Professor Magoha entered the chambers, then National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi asked him to take an oath in accordance with the Standing Orders.
After taking the oath, he gave introductory remarks about himself, but what caught the attention of many Kenyans was his thick, 91-page curriculum vitae.
While many people scanned through his resume, taking note of his education and academic work, titles held, and countries visited, there was one aspect of his life that was not revealed.
Professor Magoha used two and a half pages in his CV, under the section ‘personal statement’, to explain who he truly was as a person.
Professionally, the late Professor Magoha was a highly-skilled urological and transplant surgeon who had been working in this field since 2000.
He was trained at various institutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, he had also received training in executive management at Stanford University. His research on prostate, penile, and testicular cancer, erectile dysfunction, and circumcision had a significant impact on the international community and global thematic areas.
Administratively, Professor Magoha was known as a firm and results-oriented leader who placed a strong emphasis on professionalism, teamwork, and team spirit.
He had a decade of experience as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, being the first public servant to be competitively appointed in this position in January 2005 in Kenya.
During his tenure, he formed a synergistic team that was based entirely on merit and the ability to produce results, without any ethnic considerations.
As a team leader, Professor Magoha was responsible for formulating the first-ever strategic plan for the University of Nairobi, which was revised twice during their tenure.
This plan served as the foundation for the complete reorganization of all University systems, including the implementation of computerized financial management, right-sizing of units, staff, and students, ISO certification, Rapid Result Initiatives (RRI), Performance Contracting, and the mainstreaming of Research and Innovation and Student Affairs.
Through strict financial, staff, and student discipline, as well as various operational strategies, Professor Magoha was able to ensure the smooth running of the University for a period of ten years, a first in the institution’s history.
Additionally, as chairman of the Vice Chancellors Committee, Professor Magoha dealt with national academic and staff labor issues through the Inter University Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) of the Federation of Kenya Employers.
The individual also established extensive international academic and management linkages and networks, visiting over one hundred universities during their tenure as Vice-Chancellor.
This transformative leadership resulted in increased visibility and internationalization of the university, which was ranked as the top in the region for several years, and number 7 in Africa and 855 in the world according to Webometrics Rankings of January 2015 at the completion of their term.
Professor Magoha’s leadership qualities was recognized internationally through his membership on the Association of African Universities (AAU) Governing Board from 2005 to 2017.
He served as Vice President and President, membership on the Global Council of Confucius Institute representing Africa in Beijing China, and as Chairman of the African Network for Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI) Governing Board from 2010 to present and President of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) from 2013 to date.
Professor Magoha also has a track record of fundraising, having raised over 500 million Shillings towards infrastructure development of the College of Health Sciences and Main Campus, and collectively several billions with other colleagues for research at the College of Health Sciences.
He also hold several Presidential, Medical Professional, Academic & International Honors and Awards.
Prior to being appointed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, he served as Chairman of the academic Department of Surgery, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
During this period, he fundraised internationally to construct and furnish the current Dean’s Office, and the Principal’s Office including the College Committee room.
Additionally, Professor Magoha later served as Principal of the College and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Administration and Finance.
Incredible Achievements of Top Grade Prof Magoha as Entailed in His 91 Page CV