Magoha was a scholar par excellence, let’s emulate his servant leadership
Former Education Cabinet Secretary, Prof George Magoha.
What you need to know:
- Prof George Magoha, who is being buried today, was a scholar par excellence. He scaled the heights in the academic agora, rising to the pinnacle of academia as a full professor.
- As we give him our last respects, we have to celebrate a Kenyan who stood firm and defended any position he took and deemed to be the truth in a country where many scholars are known to kowtow to power.
- Prof Magoha liked nurturing young talents. He cherished hard work and could notice one from afar, after which he would go out of his way to lend support to the young talent. He loathed lazy bones but gave a firm embrace to industrious and committed personalities.
Prof George Omore Magoha, who is being buried today, was a scholar par excellence. He scaled the heights in the academic agora, rising to the pinnacle of academia as a full professor.
As we give him our last respects, we have to celebrate a Kenyan who stood firm and defended any position he took and deemed to be the truth in a country where many scholars are known to kowtow to power. Prof Magoha was, however, of a different hue.
Prof Magoha liked nurturing young talents. He cherished hard work and could notice one from afar, after which he would go out of his way to lend support to the young talent. He loathed lazy bones but gave a firm embrace to industrious and committed personalities.
Refereed journals
His papers are to be found in refereed journals all over the world. His contribution to knowledge placed him among the who is who in the academy.
Prof was a good teacher. He facilitated learning whenever he got the opportunity. Even as a Cabinet secretary, it was admirable to see him sit in a class of toddlers as he followed instructions from the teacher. He did this without causing distractions to the teaching and learning process. His contribution to curriculum development and implementation in medicine and other disciplines is legendary.
Wuod Gem was also a prolific researcher whose works transcended his area of specialisation.
Community outreach was another of his strengths. The Yala community where he will be buried is awash with his footprints. Many schools and churches benefitted directly from his good hands.
To understand Prof, one needs to read his autobiography, The Tower of Transformational Leadership, which gives us a peek into the life of the ‘buffalo’ that we knew him to be.
True, Prof was abrasive and sometimes exuded arrogance, but he never bore grudges and had no time for vengeance, back-stabbing, tribalism, mediocrity, sleaze and pettiness. We have lost a true patriot.
Dr Ndaloh teaches at Koitaleel Samoei University College. [email protected]
