Professor George Magoha is Dead- Biography, Age, Wife, Education, Family, Career.

Professor George Magoha, whose full name was George Albert Omore Magoha, was a Kenyan consultant surgeon, academic administrator and technocrat. Professor Magoha served as the Cabinet Secretary of Education in the Cabinet of Kenya, since 26th March, 2019. Magoha was the chairman of the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), from 2016 to 2019.

From 2005 to 2015, Magoha served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. George Magoha is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Nairobi’s College of Health Sciences and concurrently serves as a Consultant Urologist at Kenyatta National Hospital, the teaching hospital of the university.

Since January 2023 he served as a professor of surgery at Maseno University School of Medicine, in Kisumu County.

Age

Professor Magoha was born in 1952 therefore he has died aged 71 years.

Wife

In 1982, he got married to obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Barbara O Essien Magoha. The two met at the University of Lagos where they were both medical students. His wife is from Nigeria and is a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist at Kenyatta National Hospital and a lecturer at University of Nairobi. His wife holds a Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from the University of Nairobi. The two have a son.

His family is full of doctors. The son is Dr. Michael Magoha, an alumnus of Strathmore and Brookhouse School who graduated in 2009, from the University of Nairobi’s School of Medicine. In 2011, his son went back to the University of Nairobi and studied neurosurgery. His son is a lover of baseball and guitar and is a tutorial fellow at the Department of Surgery at UoN among other things.

Education

Prof. Magoha attended Dr David Livingstone Primary School, in Nairobi. He then went to Starehe Boys’ Centre and School, where he completed his O-Level studies and then joined Strathmore School, for his A-Level education, graduating with a High School Diploma.

Magoha excelled in his university entry examinations and awarded a scholarship to study human medicine at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. George Magoha’s studies took him through the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria and the Royal Post-graduate Medical School, UK. Magoha is trained as a specialized urologist and a Fellow of the Royal College of Ireland.

Professor George Magoha

Professor George Magoha Family

George grew up in Jerusalem, Salem in Eastlands, Nairobi. He is seventh born in a family of ten. Prof. Magoha decided to become a urologist after observing the problems men had in passing urine when he was young.

Professor George Magoha Career

Prof. Magoha was appointed chairman, dean and principal in the College of Health of Sciences. He was later appointed as deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Nairobi, in quick succession. In 2005, Magoha was appointed the vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi, having scored the highest among the applicants.

One of Prof. Magoha most remarkable achievement was instituting discipline among the academic staff, non-teaching staff and the students at the UoN. At the time Magoha assumed office, apparently staff members never worked, lecturers missed classes and some even lost students examination marks. Student strikes were notoriously common and this had damaged the institution’s reputation.

George created a safety valve for ventilation and preventing them from rioting by meeting openly with students to discuss their issues. He served as the vice chancellor for 10 years, but the students went on strike fewer times than before his time in office.

With his record as a no-nonsense education administrator, in 2016, he was appointed as the Chairman of the KNEC, by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Magoha’s 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. Prof. George is credited to have dismantled cartels that had propagated exam cheating for many years and restored credibility of exams in Kenya.

He was nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Education on 1st March 2019, and was sworn in on 26 March 2019, to replace Amina Mohamed, who was transferred to the Sports docket.

Since January 2023 he served as a professor of surgery at Maseno University School of Medicine, in Kisumu County.

Death

He died today 24/01/2023 at Nairobi Hospital after a short illness.

According to Nairobi Hospital CEO James Nyamongi, Professor Magoha collapsed at his home and was rushed to the Nairobi Hosiptal where efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccesful

May His soul rest in eternal peace.