George Albert Omore Magoha (born circa 1952), is a Kenyan consultant surgeon,

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some t ...

and technocrat, who serves as the Cabinet Secretary of Education in the

Cabinet of Kenya The Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya is made up of the President, Deputy President, Attorney General and Cabinet Secretaries. The 2010 Constitution of Kenya allows a maximum of 22 ministries under Article 152 and sets the minimum number to 14. ...

, effective 26 March 2019. Immediately before his current assignment, he was the chairman of the

Kenya National Examinations Council The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is the national body responsible for overseeing national examinations in Kenya. Its current chairman is Professor John Onsati. This council was established under the Kenya National Examinations Council ...

(KNEC), from 2016 until 2019. He has previously served as the

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi. It is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent univer ...

from 2005 until 2015. He is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Nairobi's College of Health Sciences. He concurrently serves as a Consultant Urologist at

Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Kenya. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Ministry of Health. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences. It is the 2nd l ...

, the

teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...

of the university.

Early life and education

He was born in Kisumu in 1952. He moved in with his older brother, John Obare and his wife Agatha Christine Obare, in Nairobi, on account of his (Magoha's)

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

, at a young age. He attended Dr David Livingstone Primary School, in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

, the capital and largest city in Kenya. He then attended

Starehe Boys' Centre and School Starehe Boys' Centre and School (popularly known as "Starehe") is a partial-board, boys-only school in Nairobi, Kenya. The school was founded in 1959 by Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin, State Commendations of Kenya, MBS, OBE, Geoffrey Gatama Getur ...

, where he completed his O-Level studies. He then studied at Strathmore School, for his A-Level education, graduating with a High School Diploma. He was awarded a scholarship to study

human medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

, in Nigeria. His studies took him through the

Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) is a tertiary hospital established in 1961 and is located in Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos State, the administrative division of Nigeria. The teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Lagos Coll ...

, the

University College Hospital, Ibadan University College Hospital, Ibadan is a federal teaching hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria attached to the University of Ibadan. History The University College Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan was established by an August 1952 Act of Parliament in response to ...

, both in Nigeria and the

Royal Postgraduate Medical School The Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS) was an independent medical school, based primarily at Hammersmith Hospital in west London. In 1988, the school merged with the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and in 1997 became part of Imperial ...

, in United Kingdom. He is trained as a specialized urologist and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Career

At the turn of the century (late 1990s to early 2000s), Magoha was appointed chairman, dean and principal in the College of Health of Sciences and later deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Nairobi, in quick succession. In 2005 was appointed the vice-chancellor of the UoN, having scored the highest among the applicants. His most remarkable achievement at the UoN was instituting discipline among the academic staff, non-teaching staff and the students. A the time he assumed office, apparently staff members never worked, lecturers missed classes and some even lost student examination marks. Student strikes were notoriously common and had damaged the institution's reputation. By meeting openly with students to discuss their issues, he created a safety valve for ventilation and preventing them from rioting. For the 10 years he served as the vice chancellor, the students went on strike fewer times than before his time in office. In 2016, with his record as a no-nonsense education administrator, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Kenya National Examination Council, by President

Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...

. His immediate task as the Chairman of KNEC was to reform the council to arrest the widespread academic dishonesty and corruption in the administration of national examinations. He is credited to have dismantled cartels that had propagated exam cheating for years and restored credibility of exams in Kenya. On 1 March 2019, he was nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Education in the Kenyan Cabinet, and was sworn in on 26 March 2019, replacing

Amina Mohamed Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril ( so, Aamina Maxamed Jibriil; ar, أمينة محمد جبريل), born 5 October 1961, is a former Kenyan cabinet secretary, lawyer and a diplomat of Somali descent. She is the immediate former Cabinet Secretary ...

, who was transferred to the Sports docket.

Other considerations

Magoha is the author of a book, ''Tower of Transformational Leadership'', published by Kenway Publications in 2017. It is an autobiographical account of his experience as a leader in various roles in medicine, surgery, academia and the community. As of May 2017, he was the chairman of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board.

Succession table as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi

References

External links