'He will be remembered as a spirited go-getter,' Ruto says in final tribute to Prof. Magoha

President William Ruto has mourned the late former Education CS Prof. George Magoha as an ambitious man who wasn't afraid to ask for and pursue what he wanted.

In a tribute to the fallen Professor, delivered at his family home in Gem, Siaya County on Saturday, Ruto labeled Magoha as a man who held his ideals in high regard and who was ready to get his hands dirty to make his beliefs a reality.

"Prof. Magoha loved doing his work. He had no half measures. He put his whole heart and being into everything that he did and he believed in whatever he did. If he did not believe in it he did not even begin doing it," said Ruto in the tribute read on his behalf by ICT CS Eliud Owalo.

"The patriot occupied large space everywhere he went; those who got to know him well will remember him as the one man who believed in the possibility of a perfect universe but Prof. Magoha did not just believe that a perfect universe was possible he spent his life and energy working towards the realisation of this perfect universe."

Ruto added that Magoha was an outstanding leader, scholar  and a professional role model whose dreams, aspirations and successes will be immortalised in history

He similarly lauded Magoha's hard-line stance on having all children across the country attend schools noting that it bettered their lives.

"He dedicated himself to have duty as CS saw him set out to keep our children in school. He roamed in the villages looking for dropout children and returning them to the classroom he visited individual homes in the slums and informal settlement to find out why children are not in school

"He was at his happiest whenever he tracked down one child and returned them to school. Prof. Magoha loved order, industry, and results. Once his eyes were set on something nothing could sway him or discourage him. He was especially impatient with laziness and irresponsibility," said Ruto.

He added that: "He would not entertain mediocrity. He would speak plainly when taking to task the lazy and irresponsible. He especially had no time for unavoidable slowness of mind. He did not hesitate to call out the culprit in plain language."

"I will always remember Prof. Magoha as a thought leader, imaginative leader, a frank man who did not know how to mince his words. I will recall him as a compassionate colleague who stood with those around him in difficult times and as a conciliator who believed in dialogue as the best intervention. I will remember his focus and great sense of humour. Such is the kind of person we have come to pay our respects to fellow Kenyans," said Ruto.

"A man who grew to be bigger than the family space could hold. This village could not hold him, Nyanza could not hold him, Gem could not hold him and indeed Kenya could not hold him and Kenya didn't. He was a citizen of Africa and the entire world. He now belongs to the ages, and rests with the sages. He has moved on to ever-lasting consciousness. We therefore thank God for his life and for the promise of the life to come in the foreseeable future," said Ruto.

He added: "We thank God for giving Magoha to us and for the privilege of him being a part of this universe in this life. We certainly look forward to meeting him again in resurrection. To the Magoha family, poleni sana. May God wipe away your tears and sorrow. May he cause you to smile and laugh again and may Prof. Magohas's soul find perfect peace and rest in eternity."