LEADERSHIP AT THE CROSSROADS: NAVIGATING COMMITMENT AND TURNOVER IN KENYA’S UNIVERSITIES

Bonn Jonyo, Dorothy Owuor Jonyo

Abstract


This conceptual study examines the complex interplay between leadership styles, organizational politics, and faculty loyalty in Kenyan universities, using Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory as an analytical lens.  It explores how varied leadership behaviors from participatory and transparent to autocratic and exclusionary shape staff morale and turnover intentions in a higher education system strained by expansion, reduced funding, and heightened accountability. Drawing on contemporary literature, the paper highlights how inclusive leadership undergirds institutional cohesion, while politicized governance and inequitable treatment erode staff commitment. It offers a critical synthesis, underscoring the need for future empirical research and targeted governance reforms. This conceptual framework is designed to support policy and leadership reform in Kenya’s higher education system by highlighting that effective supervisor–subordinate relationships are a key determinant in curbing attrition and reinforcing professional allegiance.

 

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Keywords


leadership, organizational politics, loyalty, commitment, turnover intentions, leader-member exchange, employee retention, governance

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i2.6526

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