
Inside Prof. George Magoha’s Honored Profession and 90-Page CV
Prof. George Magoha was without a doubt a prominent figure in the country’s medical and academic communities.
From his time as Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi to his current position as head of the Ministry of Education, Magoha has always left his imprint on the majority of the places he has worked.
His academic achievements are outstanding, as he has received numerous honors, including one in executive management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
He also attended other prestigious institutions around the world, including the University College Hospital in Ibadan, the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School Hammersmith Hospital’s Department of Urology in London, where he was awarded numerous academic distinctions.
When he presented a 90-page curriculum vitae during his vetting before to his appointment as Cabinet Secretary for Education in 2019, the breadth of his experience and wealth of his expertise were the buzz of the town.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, Magoha began what would become an extraordinary profession over the course of his lifetime.
Magoha began his medical position as an intern at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital before rising through the ranks to become a Senior Resident and Clinical Lecturer in Surgery at the same facility.
Later, in 1988, he would return to Kenya to teach urology at the University of Nairobi. As was typical in his previous positions, he advanced to full professor at the institution’s School of Medicine.
Magoha would later refer to the UoN as his second home for decades, shifting from one administrative position to the next for decades. His work at the university garnered him fame and respect, which later contributed to his promotion to Vice Chancellor at one of the region’s most prestigious universities.
After guiding UoN to a “Excellent” grade in terms of Performance Contracting, he is credited with having contributed to the country’s national and international renown.
During his tenure, Magoha also contributed to the university’s enormous increase in capacity and infrastructure, elevating it to a position of prominence.Magoha worked in a variety of institutions and organizations after his retirement, notably as the Chairman of the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI), an umbrella organization for institutions in the disciplines of science and technology.
After a series of reports of widespread cheating on national examinations, the state sought the services and expertise of Magoha, a man renowned for his courage and no-nonsense attitude to his work.
Indeed, his tenure as Chairman of the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) from 2016 to 2018 was viewed as a turning point and the period when the national examinations regained their legitimacy.
Together with his former colleague at the University of Nairobi and the Cabinet Secretary for Education at the time, Dr. Fred Matiang’i, Magoha put a stop to the prevalent cheating cases and chose to ignore the criticism and problems he faced.
In 2019, he would be promoted to the position of Cabinet Secretary at the start of the second term of office for the later retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He served this capacity till Kenyatta’s term ended in 2022. Even during the hectic and lengthy election campaign, Magoha was viewed as one of the few government officials who remained focused on their responsibilities.He travelled the country while reviewing the then-ongoing building of classrooms intended to house the junior secondary school for which he had served as the project’s steward.
Magoha was recalled in January 2023 when Maseno University appointed him professor of surgery at the institution’s School of Medicine, following a hiatus from active administrative duties.
Inside Prof. George Magoha’s Honored Profession and 90-Page Cv