Capt. Josiah Ogada Magatti
1952–2014 • Founding General Secretary • EMBLEM Tanzania Study Coordinator
Captain Josiah Ogada Magatti (1952–2014) was a founding leader of SHED Foundation whose career brought together military service, agriculture, health administration, church leadership, education, humanitarian development, and medical research.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Dar es Salaam and later undertook postgraduate study in Agricultural Development and Agricultural Economics at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. Before returning to civilian life, he served for more than a decade in the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, including during the period of the Tanzania–Uganda conflict that ended the rule of Idi Amin.
After his military service, Magatti devoted himself to community institutions in the Shirati area. His work included agricultural development, educational administration, service as Diocesan Secretary of the Tanzania Mennonite Church’s North Mara Diocese, and senior administrative responsibilities at Shirati Hospital and the Shirati Leprosy Control Center. His experience in hospital administration brought him into sustained work involving two diseases of particular importance to the region: leprosy and Burkitt lymphoma.
Building Research from Shirati
Magatti helped establish SHED Foundation in 2005–2006 and became an important member of its leadership, serving in roles that included General Secretary. His extensive administrative and community experience helped SHED develop partnerships connecting local institutions in northern Tanzania with universities, researchers, health organizations, and international development partners.
One of his most significant contributions was to research on Burkitt lymphoma in East Africa. As Study Coordinator for EMBLEM Tanzania—the Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East African Children and Minors study—Magatti helped build the Tanzanian research program in partnership with SHED Foundation, Bugando Medical Centre, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute. He coordinated the process of securing Tanzanian ethical approval, helped establish and equip research laboratories, recruited and supervised study personnel, and organized regional efforts to identify children with suspected Burkitt lymphoma and connect them with diagnosis, treatment, and research participation. The National Cancer Institute later specifically credited him with helping design the EMBLEM study and leading its field implementation in Tanzania.
His work also contributed to the scientific literature on Burkitt lymphoma. He was a co-author of research examining the relationship between African Burkitt lymphoma and malaria and of a major study describing the incidence and trends of Burkitt lymphoma in northern Tanzania. His research affiliation was listed as the Shirati Health, Education and Development Foundation.
Captain Magatti died in 2014. His legacy within SHED reflects a life spent building institutions, strengthening health and community programs, and connecting the needs of rural Tanzanian communities with wider networks of humanitarian service and scientific research. His leadership helped establish the organizational and research partnerships that became an important part of SHED Foundation’s early development.
See also the EMBLEM Study page.