The late Professor George Magoha, who served as Cabinet Secretary for Education, was widely known for his controversial reform initiatives and passionate advocacy for the field.
Prof. Magoha was a respected and reviled figure in his field because of the image he projected as a no-nonsense academic and leader.
Here are a few of the most notable times he intentionally caused controversy:
When he connected an NTV reporter to a banned terrorist organization, he was committing an act of extreme recklessness.
Prof. Magoha linked an NTV journalist to the banned Al-Shabaab terrorist group during a ceremony at Pumwani Girls and Pumwani Boys Secondary Schools in Nairobi. This came after he had placed a foundation stone for the second phase of the development of CBC junior high classrooms.
After the then-CS failed to respond to a question from Rukia Bulle, Prof. Magoha made comments that were interpreted as profiling the reporter and linking her to the terrorist group without first finding out whose media outlet she represented.
Not only did Magoha’s comments generate an outrage among Muslims, but they also sparked calls for his dismissal on social media.
Dismissing a man in a condescending way
On August 2nd, he was on his way to Bar Union Secondary School in Kisumu County to inspect and commission the new CBC phase two classrooms when the event occurred.
A man is shown in a video offering the CS a jerrican to water a tree that was planted in his honor; the video has received a lot of backlash for other reasons as well.
Angered by the gesture, Professor Magoha yelled out, “Get away from me, you smell of alcohol,” to the amusement of the onlooking police officers, instructors, and students.
During a public rebuke of a high-ranking education official, he
A grey-haired senior citizen was spotted being reprimanded by Prof. Magoha in November of 2020 before being dismissed. The CS was spotted getting belligerent and making obscene gestures at the director of education for Uasin Gishu County during an unannounced visit to Langas Primary School in Eldoret.
“The situation on the ground is not good,” he stated, criticizing the school’s lack of proper cleanliness.
The man responded by saying the problem will be fixed and a report would be written.
I’m not referring to anything written; I’m speaking about the facts as we find them right now. Could I be telling the truth if I called you an idiot? Magoha shot back an angry remark.
His uncompromising stance on homophobia in educational institutions
In another speech to Kisumu’s school principals, Professor Magoha advocated for keeping homosexual children out of boarding schools altogether.
The backlash he received from LGBTQ+ groups prompted him to issue a “clarification” in which he claimed his original remarks were misconstrued.
Magoha subsequently remarked, “You may be a good gay who does not upset anybody you go and do your thing when you are out of school.”
As the regional director of education, he lectured
Prof. Magoha lost his cool and blasted the Rift Valley Regional Director of Education for failing to meet his 80 percent secondary school transition target during an inspection in Baringo County.
“It is time for you to resign and enter politics. The CS reprimanded the education director in front of everyone, “I am telling you in public that I will not take it.”
Prof. Magoha urged the regional officer’s assistant to shut up when the latter sought to explain what he had been doing.
