Known for his no-nonsense approach, his entry into the County Hall Chambers at 9.45m to undergo approval hearing to become the next Education Cabinet Secretary, was not without excitement. Renowned and tough-talking Professor George Magoha made nothing short of a majestic entrance before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments.
The committee that has a membership of 28 is chaired by the Speaker Justin Muturi, deputized by his deputy Moses Cheboi with the composition of the House Majority Leader Aden Duale, Minority Leader John Mbadi among other members. Magoha who is hoping to become the fourth Education Cabinet Secretary under President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government was picked in Executive Order Number 3 last month to steer the operations of the ministry.
When he took over the reins of power in 2013, in his first term in office, President Kenyatta’s first choice of Cabinet Secretary in the Education ministry was Professor Jacob Kaimenyi who was later replaced by Fred Matiangi, then came in Ambassador Amina Mohamed and now Magoha. On Thursday morning when he introduced himself to
He went on to add: “Everything I have touched in the past I have always succeeded”. Magoha who served as the University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor for almost a decade told MPs his track record when he was at the helm of the biggest institution in East Africa is out there in the public domain to be scrutinized and judged. He bragged about being a thorough performer who spearheaded numerous reforms at the institution, notably the construction of the UoN tower which he personally supervised.
According to Magoha, the building that he estimated to have costed Sh2.68 billion is one of his proud achievements during his tenure at the institution. But even as he expressed himself before the committee with a lot of confidence and authority, he admitted that his success was exclusively attributed to the fact that he empowered his support system.
As he was getting more comprehensive in his introductory statements with some members seen shaking their heads in approval or being impressed by his coherence in expounding on his leadership philosophy, Magoha noted that working from backwards as always been his mantra.
“My major weakness is that I start from the end of the goal that I want to achieve and work backwards and make sure it achieved. Throughout my short period in public service I have found out that processes are so good but when you want to measure your achievements against those processes you’ll be surprised that nothing has been achieved,” he said.
When Muturi opened the floor to the energized members who were ready to quiz Magoha it was Kathiani MP Robert Mbui who threw in the first punch seeking Magoha’s thoughts on the cancellation of registration of candidates who were found to have used fake birth certificates to sit their exams.
Mbui’s blow was however blocked by Magoha who assured that no candidate will be denied an opportunity to sit the national examinations under his watch due to the ongoing rollout of the National Education Management Integrated System. Magoha promised to oversee a smooth transition of the new curriculum even as he endorsed it to be the solution to the perennial problem of unemployment that has witnessed a huge number of graduates lack formal employment.
According to Muturi, members are likely to retreat this weekend and write a report which they will table on the floor of the House next week on Tuesday.