Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta has mourned the late George Magoha as the brainchild of the eradication of cheating in national exams.
Uhuru said Magoha decisively restored sanity and credibility of national exams while he served as the chairperson of the National Examinations Council(Knec).
The fourth president of the Republic lauded Magoha for restoring the integrity of the country's national examinations.
Uhuru said, when he tapped him from the University of Nairobi to chair Knec, he went out of his way to eradicate cheating.
"I had been impressed by what he did as the vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi,"Uhuru revealed why he hired Magoha.
The retired president said Magoha teamed up with Fred Matiang'i, then Education Cabinet Secretary, to turn around the administration of national examinations.
Uhuru said when before Magoha took charge of Knec, the country was at the time experiencing massive cheating in national examinations.
"Many of you would recall the numerous examination cheating that used to take place,"Uhuru recalled as he mourned Magoha on Saturday.
"So when his term came to an end as vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, and because I saw his contribution at UoN, I requested him take up the role of being the chairperson of Knec."
The ex-president said that under Magoha's leadership together with Matiangi, they ended examination cheating.
"Working with Matiang'i, they saw the eradication of cheating in examinations and brought sanity and quality back to examinations and our education system," he said in Yala.
Uhuru said when he later on appointed Magoha as CS for education he achieved a milestone for the country.
"For the first time, Magoha managed to move the transition rate from primary to secondary education to 100 per cent," he said.
The president said the country had lost a great leader who put national interests first.
"We have lost a friend a partner, colleague and we have lost a great giant of this country," he said during Magoha's funeral service.
"For us, is to stand wth the family and the same way Magoha stood with us , we shall also stand with you to the very end."
Like Magoha rejected tribalism, Uhuru said, leaders should shun negative ethnicity to build the country.
