Former PS Who Never Went To High School Is Dead
Karega Mutahi, former Education Permanent Secretary, died on Sunday, his family confirmed.
Karega is remembered for his dedicated service to the Ministry of Education under former President Mwai Kibaki, where he was credited with spearheading various reforms.
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Prof. Karega Mutahi, a remarkable educator and dedicated public servant. His relentless pursuit of excellence in education and his steadfast commitment to public service were an inspiration to many.
— Musalia W Mudavadi (@MusaliaMudavadi) October 27, 2024
I had the privilege of working closely… pic.twitter.com/wTxkwHwmCW
Karega was mourned by many stakeholders in the education sector, including Olive Mugenda, Chairperson of Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital, who described him as a phenomenal leader.
“So sad to lose my good friend and former boss, Prof. Karega Mutahi, former PS MoE. He was the pragmatic PS who got the assignments right and got the work done,” Mugenda narrated.
“When the construction of the Kenyatta University Hospital was almost complete and we were preparing to operationalize it, Prof. Mutahi graciously accepted to chair (as a consultant) the operationalization committee that I appointed as the VC then.”
“As PS MoE, Prof supported the Vice Chancellors during my time as VC-KU and his support and hard work contributed to our ability to post good performance and transform KU the way we did,” she added.
“His contribution to the education sector and KUTRRH in that critical operationalization committee will find its place in the book pages when the story is written.”
So sad to lose my good friend and former boss, Prof. Karega Mutahi, former PS MoE. He was the pragmatic PS who got the assignments right and got the work done.
— Prof. Olive Mugenda Ph.D., CBS, MGH (@OliveMugenda) October 27, 2024
When the construction of the Kenyatta University Hospital was almost complete and we were preparing to operationalize… pic.twitter.com/fGlCGfshK2
Karega will be remembered for rising through the ranks to become a professor despite having no prior formal educational experience.
“I never went to any high school. In fact, in primary school, I had to repeat a class in primary,” Mutahi confessed, in an interview with the Nation.
He went on to reveal that he sat for the Certificate of Primary Education in 1963, scoring an A in English and B in Mathematics and a D in the general paper.
He later pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics before earning a Master of Arts in Linguistics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Linguistics from the University of Nairobi.
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Karega will also be remembered for his service in the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock Development and Marketing, the then-Office of the Vice President, and Planning and National Development.
However, his time at the Ministry of Education was marred by graft allegations stemming from the Ksh 4.2 billion scandal involving the free primary education program.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga pushed for Karega’s resignation, along with Sam Ongeri, the then Education Minister, to allow for independent investigations into the free primary education scandal.
He was later suspended, along with 15 other officials, over the scandal.
Former PS Who Never Went To High School Is Dead
