Former Education Principal Secretary Professor Karega Mutahi who passed on today has left an indelible mark is Kenya's history.
His illustrious career at the helm of various ministries leave no doubt that he consistently got the assignment right as supported by tributes that streamed in following his death.
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His illustrious career at the helm of various ministries leave no doubt that he consistently got the assignment right as supported by tributes that streamed in following his death.
He was eulogized as the PS who got the assignment right, making sure that education was not only accessible but also affordable when he served under the late President Mwai Kibaki.
Under retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, Prof. Karega Mutahi served as the Chairman Intergovernmental Technical Relations Committee.
Former Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Olive Mugenda mourned Proffessor Mutahi writing:
“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. 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.
“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. May Prof. Mutahi's soul rest in peace after an illustrious and effective public service career. My sincere condolences to Mrs. Karega, the children, family, education fraternity and friends.”
Karega Mutahi: The Professor who never went to high school
Despite not going to high school, Mutahi’s exploits in the field of academia stood out and saw him become a professor and hold top government jobs where his astute leadership was outstanding.
He shared his inspirational journey from a poor background and repeating classes several times.
"I never went to any high school. In fact, in primary school, I had to repeat a class in primary," Mutahi once confessed in an interview with the Nation.
He sat for his Certificate of Primary Education in 1963 and scored A in English, B in Mathematics and D in General Paper.
His CPE qualifications saw him land employment as an untrained teacher at Kiru Primary School in Murang’a.
When Kigari Teachers Training College began offering basic teaching skills to promising class eight leavers, Mutahi was among the beneficiaries.
It is while at Kigari that he enrolled for the Kenya English Test that allowed him to sit for the Kenya Junior Secondary Examination (KJSE).
Mutahi who was by then a teacher in Thika sat for the KJSE exam that was administered at form 2 and passed, proceeding to enroll for O-level examinations in 1967.
A year later, he enrolled for A-level examinations which he also passed.
The desire to achieve more in academia saw him enroll for the mature age examinations, then administered by the University of East Africa.
University Education
He passed the exams and secured admission at the University of Nairobi, pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and political science.
From there he went to University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) FOR HIS Master of Arts, followed by Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics from the University of Nairobi in 1987.
He went on to head several Ministries including Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Development and Marketing, Ministry of Education, Office of the Vice President, and Planning and National Development.