Alex: George Magoha's Brother Who Was To Be Buried This Weekend

The untimely demise of former Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha threw his family into more grief than anticipated, given that it occurred just four days before the burial of his younger brother, Richard Alex Nyabera Magoha.

Ex-CS Magoha succumbed to cardiac arrest at the Nairobi Hospital on Tuesday, January 24, despite numerous attempts to resuscitate him.

The body of Alex was to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi ahead of the planned burial on Saturday, January 28, hours before his elder brother died.

An obituary of Alex obtained by Viral Tea revealed that he died in Allen, Texas, USA, leaving behind a number of family members, including Magoha who was reported to have been among the family members making the burial arrangements for his brother.

Obituary of the late Alex Nyabera Magoha who died in the US on December 6, 2022. /DAILY NATION

"Cortege will leave Agha Khan Funeral Home Kisumu, on Saturday, January 28, for a memorial requiem mass at Township Primary School Yala at 10:00 am followed by intermittent at his Umiru home in Yala, Gem, Sub-County," read the obituary in part.

The cause of death was not immediately made public. At the time, Alex left behind his brother Magoha, who did not even get the chance to pay his last respects.

His other brothers included Consolata Magoha, the late William Ogola Magoha, John Obare Magoha, Mary Owuor Magoha, the late Captain Charles Agunga Magoha, the late Michael Achianja Magoha, Joseph Oyile Magoha and sister Pauline Dola.

Alex is survived by Janet Achieng Magoha and was a father to Crystal Magoha, Ashley Magoha and Bernard Magoha all of Allen, Texas, USA.

"Magoha, Alex Richard Nyabera 68 was a loving, caring, devoted husband and father. He was very involved in the lives of his children and family," an obituary published by Bedford Memorial Funeral Home on December 6, added. 

Following Prof Magoha's death, the family is yet to issue a comprehensive statement on whether the burial of Alex that was set for January 28 will go ahead as planned or whether the two brothers will be buried together.

The double loss adds to the three losses the family has been impacted by in two years. In August 2021, the family laid to rest Charles Agunga Magoha, who had passed away in Sweden.

Magoha is survived by his son Dr Michael Magoha as well as his wife, Dr Barbra Magoha. His death also came on the same day the whole world marked the International Day of Education.

George Magoha Biography

Born in 1952, Professor George Magoha was a Kenyan medical doctor and academician who has had a successful career in both medicine and education. After completing his primary education in Yala and Nairobi, he attended Starehe Boys Centre and Strathmore College for his high school education.

He then went on to study medicine at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. He later specialized in Surgery and Urology at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School Hammersmith Hospital, London, Department of Urology, where he earned various academic awards.

In addition to his medical training, Professor Magoha also trained in executive management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and has received numerous international professional honours and awards. He was also recognized locally, receiving the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) and Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) awards.

In 1988, Professor Magoha joined the University of Nairobi as a lecturer in Urological Surgery and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a full Professor of Surgery in 2000. He held various administrative positions at the university, including Chairman of the Academic Department of Surgery, Dean of the School of Medicine, Principal of the College of Health Sciences, Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Administration and Finance, and finally, Vice-Chancellor in January 2005.

During his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, he led the university to achieve an “Excellent” rating in the Performance Contracting evaluation for government institutions.

Throughout his career, Professor Magoha various other positions of leadership, including President of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA), Chairman of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB), Chairman of the Kenya Association of Urological Surgeons (KAUS) from 1997, and President of the Association of African Universities (AAU).

He also served as a commissioner in the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) from 2005 to 2013.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Professor Magoha was a prolific researcher, having published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and supervised the completion of over 40 Master of Medicine (Surgery) students.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Magoha as KNEC chair in 2015 before promoting him on March 1, 2019, to the position of Education CS. He was officially sworn into the docket on March 26, 2019.

The late former Education CS, George Magoha. /FILE

Prior to his appointment, Magoha was the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) chairperson, where he was credited for spearheading the reforms at the council. The former head of state expressed confidence that Magoha would manage the finances in the education ministry in a proper and good manner and ensure that the new  Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) would be implemented without fail.

“So you are not coming into a field that is new to you. You are very familiar with it and I am really counting on you to help us and to support us to ensure that we are able to deliver to the people of Kenya; especially this issue of one hundred per cent transition,” Uhuru said.

“You have been part and parcel of that whole process. So, there is nothing new. Again, to you, it is something you understand and I'm really counting on you being able to work together with your colleagues and myself to ensure that we deliver to the people of Kenya."

As CS, he implemented the 100 per cent transition for all learners from primary school to the secondary school level. He also oversaw the implementation of CBC.