#TTULife

BOGA!!! DAAD’Y !

…. disclaimer: I may not use Prof. but am aware he is …

As I type this major TBT dedication piece, the first thing that comes to mind is Germany & DAAD. (For Your Information DAAD is the world’s largest funding organization for the international exchange of students and researchers-A german scholarship program for higher learning)

DAAD’Y is just a twist. Hope you get the gist.

I can’t quite pinpoint what it was about Prof. Iddi Boga with Germany, a progressive G20 state, famous for the MERCs and BMWs…For the historians, Hitler and the Berlin Wall accounts, or for the millennials, I hope Bundesliga, Reus, Neuer or Mesut Ozil rings a bell

…. but over my stay on campus, the two items ‘Germany’ & ‘DAAD’ were always synonymous with ‘BOGA’

Of course, there are some underlying layers to my supposition above;

One of them being, he pursued his doctoral studies in microbiology at the Universität Konstanz in Germany.

Two, Professor is arguably the pioneer champion of the DAAD Scholarship program as well as the Germany student Exchange program in TTU. It has benefited both staff and students in diverse ways so far.

Three: Boga supposedly took flights back and forth as frequently as (you / students) would take those walks from the Hostel to Mess and back …(read bila stress)

……..

Well, as a founding principal of the mighty TTUC, Professor Boga definitely has innumerable ‘FIRSTS’ that we can’t just quite put all on paper as far as his contributions towards the holistic development of TTU students were concerned

Impressively, He served for a decade from 2007-2017 as the vice-chancellor, leading and transforming the institution from a mere defunct Taita Tavet Teachers’ training institution, established in the late 90s, into a promising Constituent university college of JKUAT before the elevation into a chartered and vibrant Independent university in 2016. The fully fledge institution is best portrayed as an Academic Centre of Excellence with a special focus on Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering.

Upon which, he served for approximately 1 more year before exiting to take on a deserved and prestigious role as Principal Secretary of the State Department for Agricultural Research in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Irrigation in the Government of Kenya, a position he holds to date.

Before Kenya’s Locust Invasions, Termites, and National Food security topped his day to day agenda, Let’s Roll back a bit.

Boga was a no-nonsense intellectual with immense administrative and managerial skills, having held several key positions in the higher-level institution of learning, but evidently was often betrayed by an effortless smile and hearty occasional chuckles.

This was portrayed even in some of the tense Union driven or student instigated Barazas at the varsity auditorium.

I would like to believe he bore the same spirit even in higher-level management board room meetings

Without a doubt, Prof, this son of Kwale County must have inspired Many Counterparts, Students, Official Staff members, Subordinates and the Community alike on various levels

I was lucky to have engaged him occasionally in his expansive c-suite corner office that was on the right-wing of the administration block and sat right above the Accounts offices and was directly opposite the varsity boardroom back in the days

I might not understand how your relations with him were at a personal student or staff level, but from the few instances of interactions with Boga, I confidently say he was receptive and ready to listen, especially if you made sense

As a testimonial, After the usual ‘protocol wars’ I ultimately got the professor’s nod to launch the TTU student magazine during my time. After a couple of presentations to both the Library Department, the PR offices as well as the DVC-Finance Offices at that time, The nod was followed with Varsity sponsorship of about Ksh. 40,000. …a gesture that asserted the belief in my dreams.

Nashukuru Sana Professor.

In his stellar run, as the CEO of ‘JKUA(TTU(C)’, for the 10 years he served, the Voi Secondary and Kenyatta High Old Boy, must be remembered to have maintained a fairly harmonious learning environment, free of student unrests, uproars or demos …..

With a ‘molecular’ accuracy, Boga carefully tackled and navigated around the student issues that were often raised during the Kenneth Matiba Justine K Kenyanya,and Robert Khisa student regimes

UNTIL… Francis Maina Irungu (2015)and Harizon Owino Okong’o (2016)happened; Aggressive Chaps rising to serve as the Student union presidents and leading revolutionary regimes that would eventually birth the grandmother and the mother of all demo’s respectively…..in the context of #TTULife (Scripts for another day)

Collectively These became a slight taint in the Professor’s imitable TTU Administrative legacy.

………………………….

Regardless, Prof Hamadi Iddi Boga undisputedly befits the induction into the TTULife #WallofFame , more precisely in a GOLDEN FRAME.

…………………………..

By
mr.job
class:2016/17/18
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-Chroniqhills