Public Universities In Kenya Research Articles

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC UNIVERISTIES IN KENYA

The proposed study was to explore the relationship between income generating Activities and financial performance of public universities in Kenya. Higher education in Kenya has been recognized as a critical tool in transforming the society. The Government spends a lot of funds on education in relation to the national budget. However, despite the continued increase in government investment in higher education; resources are never adequate to match the everincreasing enrolment rates. In connection to this, several public Universities have mobilized their scarce resources to establish IGAs in order to supplement the government expenditure on education. Specific objective of this study was to examine the contribution of academic based IGAs, roles of service Based IGAs, and how production based IGAs influence the financial performance of public Universities in Kenya. A broad study was done with regards to the various theories that explain the relationship that really exist between income generating activities and their financial performance, where the resource dependency theory is seen as a conceptual tool where it argues that no organization is completely self-contained, agency theory on the other hand was also considered as an important tool since it shows, the relationship that exist between two parties, where one party is been referred as principal and the other one agent. It was observed that, most of the IGAs conducted in public Universities in Kenya include Academic Based IGAs: well known of these programs are module II programs, service Based IGAs dealing with services like restaurants, cyber cafes, production Based IGAs was also put in place in this study, also as source of income to the Universities. A descriptive approach in this project was used to explain the relationship between the variables of the study as shown in the conceptual framework, where questionnaires were used to analyze whether their existed a relationship between IGAs and Financial performance in Public Universities.

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND PERFORMANCE OF HIGHER INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING: PERSPECTIVES FROM PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Despite the important place that research on strategic innovations has in the literature on strategic management, little is known about the relationship between strategic innovations and university performance. The limitations of measuring the strategic innovation constructs, methodological ambiguities, and contentious findings from earlier studies served as the foundation for this study. This study set out to look into how technology advancements affected the performance of Kenya's public universities. This study made use of the balanced scorecard paradigm, disruptive innovation based on resources, and both. The research design used was cross-sectional. This study's target audience consisted of Kenya's 31 public universities. This study's sample frame consisted of 10 public universities. The population's 100 respondents were picked. Using a stratified random sample method, respondents from Kenya's 10 public universities were selected. The Israel (2009) formula was used to establish the sample size for the 80 respondents. Structured questionnaires with both closed- and open-ended questions were used to collect primary data. A Likert-type scale was used to evaluate the questionnaire items. The administration and administrative staff of Kenya's public universities served as the study's respondents. The deputy vice chancellors, directors, deputy directors, managers, and senior administrators were among the respondents to the survey. While Cronbach Alpha coefficients were used to test the reliability of the research instrument, the validity of the research instrument was evaluated by academic researchers and business specialists. Descriptive statistics and the linear regression approach were used to examine the data, and the results were presented as tables and figures. The study found a strong correlation between technical advancements and the performance of Kenya's public universities (F, 54.0 = 49.3, p 0.000). The study concluded that technology advancements like virtual learning, e-learning tools, and digital records can effectively explain the performance of public universities. Rethinking technological breakthroughs is crucial, the research advises, if public universities in Kenya are to perform better. It is inferred that the findings of this study will have a substantial impact on theory, management practice, and decision-makers like the Commission for University Education and the Kenyan Ministry of Education.

Influence of Perceived Organizational Politics in Promotion Process on Lecturers’ Job Performance at Public Universities in Kenya: A Case of The University of Nairobi

University education has remained a single higher institution that countries rely on for the preparation and skill development reservoir of highly skilled labour force that is much needed to spur economic development through research, teaching and innovation. Universities therefore across the world act as bases of knowledge and hubs for research, information, and expertise productions in all the fields. This requires the performance of qualified and committed academic staff actualize this role. However, the performance of this significant cadre at public universities for instance, is affected by many other factors including organizational politics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of perceived organizational politics in promotion process on lecturers’ job performance at public universities in Kenya, a case of the University of Nairobi. The study was guided by two objectives: to examine the influence of nepotism in the process of lecturers’ promotion and to determine the influence of perceived ethnicity on lecturers’ job performance at the University of Nairobi. Sampling techniques used to sample 11 deans of faculties, 19 chairs of the departments and 100 lecturers and 100 post graduate students were purposive and stratified proportionate sampling and simple random sampling techniques. The main instruments utilized to gather data from respondents for this study were interview guide, open and closed-ended questionnaire, document analysis and focus group discussion. The data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study established that although there were equal promotion opportunities for both men and female academic staff, the promotion process of the academic staff was perceived to be unfair because it lacked transparency and that patronage and ethnic politics existed. This was perceived to have negative influence on performance. The study concluded that perception of organizational politics in promotion process had negative influence on lecturers’ job performance at public universities in Kenya. The study recommends that higher education institutions should ensure fairness and transparency in the promotion process of staff in order to enhance effective lecturers’ performance. It is also recommended that a similar study should be carried out in private universities with different management systems to compare the findings since this study focused on public universities.

Assessing the Effects of Organizational Culture on Change Management in the Growth of Public Universities in Kenya.

Assessing the Effects of Organizational Culture on Change Management in the Growth of Public Universities in Kenya.

The Effect of Teleworking on Work Stress Among Non-Teaching Employees in Public Universities: A Case of the University of Nairobi and South Eastern Kenya University

Teleworking is an alternative work arrangement, where information and communication technologies enable employees to work outside the traditional working space. Work related stress can therefore spill over to the virtual offices from the traditional offices. This study aimed at finding out if teleworking had any effect on work stress among non-teaching employees in the public universities. University of Nairobi and South Eastern Kenyan University were picked to represent all other public universities. The theories guiding the study were the Organizational adaptation theory and the transactional theory of stress. The researcher used descriptive design and the target population was the senior administrative staff (grade 11 to 15), middle grades (grade A to F) and grade 1 to 4. A sample size of 357 was obtained from the target population of 3289 and questionnaires were administered. Data was presented through charts, graphs and tables. Regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between the teleworking and work stress. The results revealed that Public universities were using teleworking as an alternative way of organization work with Zoom being the most used form although there seemed to be some departments where teleworking was a challenge due to nature of work. Teleworking came with its own challenges among them being internet connectivity issues and power outages. The study concluded that teleworking had an effect on work stress among the non-teaching employees in the public universities in Kenya. Social isolation contributed most to the work stress, followed by the inability to make decisions remotely. Convenience due to Teleworking reduced the level of work stress. The study recommended that public universities should work on their ICT infrastructure to ensure that employees are well connected since network and internet connection were sighted as the most challenging issue in the teleworking. A proper reporting and feedback teleworking mechanism should be employed to ensure that feedback is received on time to facilitate action taking. Investing in training of staff is also important since it will make employees work with a lot of ease hence, less stress. Employees need to interact physically once in a while which in turn reduces stress levels. A well-organized way of working would reduce the pressure that comes with teleworking. Keywords: Teleworking, Work Stress, Non-teaching Employees, Public Universities, University of Nairobi, South Eastern Kenya University, Kenya DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-2-04 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Determination of the Prevalence of Help-Seeking Behaviours for Depression among Students in Public Universities in Kenya.

Help-seeking is a complex decision-making process employed to respond to a health problem challenging personal coping abilities and is triggered when task demands exceed coping abilities or resources. This process consists of a number of steps including, awareness and appraisal; determination of need for help; awareness of the sources of help; and finally, willingness to disclose difficulties to a help source. This research sought to examine the prevalence of help-seeking behaviours among students in public universities in Kenya. The study utilised a random sample of 593 respondents from a population of 896 students of Kisii University. A random sample was used because it has a tendency of being free from bias and, provides a more representative sample of the population. The study was supported by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Participants were asked among other questions to indicate whether or not they have sought help for an emotional problem during the past six months. The study employed quantitative methods to analyse data to identify and characterise respondent characteristics. The study findings revealed that gender, age, year of study, residency, field of study, and religious affiliation are among factors that have a higher influence on the prevalence of depression. The study revealed that university students display a low help seeking rate (37.8%) compared to a high prevalence of depression (62.3%). Therefore, there is need to increase university students coping strategies to enhance health outcomes.

Antecedents of Change Management Determinants on Operational Efficiency of Public Universities in Kenya

Operation efficiency of many public universities in Kenya has been poor. Hence, the study examined the antecedents of change management and operational efficiency of public universities in Kenya. The specific objectives were to examine the effect of change leadership, technological factors and resource allocation on operational efficiency of public universities in Kenya. The study was a literature-based review. It was found that the antecedents of change management can include change leadership, technology factors and resource allocation. The extent of the change leadership, technology factors and resource allocation influence the direction of the change administration.  The study concluded that change leadership includes bringing together the resources allocated toward meeting the change efforts. The effectiveness of the change leadership has a positive impact on the operation efficiency. The change leadership is to develop strategies and policies that can be used for any strategy implementation. The effectiveness of change leadership provides high leadership commitment, accountability and change management expertise. Technological change has an impact on all organizations and impacts operational efficiency positively. Technological change is a critical requirement for strategic planning in change management. The introduction of the technology is deemed to improve users' efficiency, thus increasing operating efficiency. Resource allocation is one of the critical determinants of change management and influences operation efficiency positively. The resource allocation is based on budgetary allocation, financial considerations and scheduling available resources. The study recommended that change leadership in the universities needs to understand why the organization needs to change/critical purposes. The leadership needs to be practical to ensure employees follow the change plans to prevent deviating from the change process. The employees need to be enlightened on the organization's technological changes to ensure that changes are implemented thoroughly and smoothly. The universities need to allocate financial resources for strategic planning implementation. An organization should plan ahead of the change process and the resource required to ensure that it determines the changes that need to be made and how long it will take to get them done. Resource allocation need to be effectively and economically to accomplish goals. Keywords: Change management, change leadership, technological factors, resource allocation, operational efficiency, public universities, Kenya

Effect of Strategic CSR Communication on the Brand Image of Selected Public Universities in Kenya

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of strategic CSR communication on the brand image of selected public universities in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The unit of analysis was five public universities that have been in existence for more than 15 years. The study targeted the 1410 employees in these universities. The sample size was 206 employees in public universities. The study used stratified random sampling to select the sample. Primary data was collected in this research. Sourced data was mainly gathered by administering structured questionnaires. Excel and Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyse data. Data was analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics. Data was presented using means, standard deviation, and distribution tables in tables and figures. Regression of coefficients showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between strategic CSR communication and brand image. The study further concluded that most Kenyan universities had an interactive form of communication that enhanced their brand image. In addition, the use of media channels during corporate social responsibility activities enhances the brand image of the institution. Further, giving true and honest messages during corporate social responsibility activities enhances the brand image of the institution. The Kenyan government, university partners, and university collaborators should offer support to the universities in their corporate image initiatives. It is also important for the Commission of University Education (CUE) as the regulatory body to ensure that universities in Kenya operate in a favorable learning environment necessary for satisfactory service provision.

Relationship between Distraction and Academic Adjustment among First Year Undergraduate Students in Public Universities in Kenya

First year undergraduate students (FYUS) arrive at the university having very different academic and social skills and from different backgrounds and cultures. Some students adjust easily and are set up for successful university study whereas others become disoriented from their studies, underperform academically or drop out completely. The current study explored the relationship between distraction during transition and academic adjustment among first year undergraduate students. The study was guided by Person-Centred and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. The study population comprised 1,539 first year undergraduate students admitted at a public university in Kenya for the 2020/2021 academic year and 45 service providers. Stratified random sampling was used to select 306 students while purposive sampling was used to select 40 service providers for the study. Concurrent Triangulation Design was used within Mixed Methods Approach whereby data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Questionnaires for students and service providers together with interview schedules for service providers were employed. Focus Group Discussions were also held for 13 students divided into two groups. Internal consistency of the questionnaire yielded a Cronbach’s alpha α = .769. Quantitative data analysis was done on percentages, Pearson’s correlation and regression analyses using SPSS version 22 computer programme. Thematic Analysis approach was employed to analyse qualitative data. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between distraction and academic adjustment.

Perceived Leadership Effectiveness of Vice-Chancellors at Public Universities in Kenya during the Juakalization Phenomenon

Perceived Leadership Effectiveness of Vice-Chancellors at Public Universities in Kenya during the Juakalization Phenomenon

The status of the digital preservation policies and plans of the institutional repositories of selected public universities in Kenya

Institutional repositories (IRs) have a leading role in providing long-term access to the research output of universities. This study assessed the capabilities of institutional repositories in Kenya to support long-term preservation of digital content by reviewing digital preservation policies and plans. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews from 19 respondents drawn from three public universities that were identified by their registration in OpenDOAR, ROARMAP and the number of items in their repositories. Additional data was acquired through analysis of documents such as open access policies and mandates, as well as institutional websites. Findings revealed that the organizations were poorly prepared to support long-term digital preservation. Policies were inadequate and plans to support the implementation of the policies were lacking. The study concluded that although the IRs were to undertake digital preservation, they lacked clearly defined actions from plans and policy. This article offers recommendations, including identifying digital preservation goals that will guide policy formulation and multi-stakeholder involvement in the policy-making process. Effort should also be made to create awareness of the relationship between digital content selection and its successful long-term preservation.

Perceptions of Quality of Students’ Welfare Services in a University in Kenya

Students’ welfare services entail those essential services that aim at promoting the physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing of learners in an institution. In universities, the services include but are not limited to catering, guidance and counseling, sports and recreation and health care services. The quality provision of these vital services contributes to the wellbeing of the students, improved learning outcomes, students’ satisfaction, and loyalty. Despite the financial challenges that public universities in Kenya are currently experiencing, they are required to provide quality welfare services that meets or even surpasses students’ expectations. This study examined perceptions on the quality of student’s welfare services in a public university in Kenya. Specifically, perceptions on the quality of catering, health care, guidance and counseling, and sports and recreation services were examined. The study used a mixed method research design where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for analysis. The target population constituted 2640 students in their third year of study. Using Kothari (2004) formula, a sample size of 332 students was determined and students’ questionnaire (SQ) applied to collect data. Four (4) heads of departments participated as key informants and were interviewed. A pilot study involving 33 students (10.0% of the sample size) from one of the Schools in the University was used to determine the reliability of the SQ using Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient of reliability. The school was exempted from the main study. The overall reliability coefficient of the SQ was 0.895. The study found that catering services were the best rated (M=3.55; SD=1.01) by the students, followed by guidance and counseling services (M=2.90; SD=1.02); and health care services (M=2.53; SD=1.01). Quality of sports and recreation services were rated below average (M=2.45; SD=1.09). It was found that the University was constrained in providing quality welfare services due to the ever-growing students’ population that strained existing facilities and personnel. The University had funding challenges to sufficiently meet some of the indicators of quality students’ welfare services. The study made recommendations on specific areas for consideration by the University management.

Relationship Between Parental Marital Status and Levels of Self-Esteem Among Undergraduate Students in Public Universities in Kenya: A Case of University of Kabianga

Kenyan universities have experienced a growing phenomenon of student’s unrest, drug abuse, deaths, relationship break ups, exam malpractice among others, which pose serious challenges in the growth and development of the students. Feelings of self-worth develop very early in childhood, thus parents and guardians play a great role in determining what the child thinks about him or herself. Self-esteem of children from either single or married parent families is important as it has a direct impact on the child’s behavior in school. This study investigated the influence of parental marital status on students’ self-esteem in universities. Causal-comparative research design guided the study. The target population included 840 fourth year students from the University of Kabianga. Proportionate stratified sampling and simple random sampling was utilized to identify a sample size of 271 male and female students. Data was collected by use of a questionnaire. The study established a statistically significant difference (t2.386= 115.788, p < 0.05) between parental marital status and the level of self-esteem among undergraduate students in University of Kabianga. Students from married parent families recorded higher level of self-esteem to students from single parent family. The study concludes that parental marital status has a positive relationship on undergraduate students’ self-esteem in universities. The study also recommends strategies to improve students’ levels of self-esteem. The students should seek and train for self-esteem based counseling even when they are not encountering serious problems. University student counselors to develop SE special counseling programs and activities on psychological and psychosocial issues Keywords: Self-Esteem, Parental Marital Status DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-33-12 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Opportunities and Challenges in Peace Programmes Employed In Managing of Student Conflicts in Public Universities in Western Kenya

The final goal of any university is to create a productive, collaborative and smooth environment for positive learning outcomes. However, there are cases where students are engaged in some conflicts that create impediments in their day-to-day educational performances. In order to manage persistent student conflicts in universities, both government and university administration have come up with various peace programmes. Statistics indicate that the number of students conflicts have increased from 0.9% in the 1990s to 7.5% in the last decade. Therefore, this study investigated opportunities and challenges in peace programmes employed in managing of student conflicts in public universities in Western Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey and evaluation research design and based in selected universities in Western, Kenya. The study targeted students, academic staff and non-academic staff from the four universities within Western Kenya. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire and interview guides as well as focus group discussions. Data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Apart from students, other actors in student conflicts are staff, administration, politicians, community and police. The main cause of student conflicts was university policies. The effectiveness of peace programs in managing of student conflicts was at 23.9%. The overall conclusion of the study is that effectiveness of existing peace programmes is not adequate to manage student conflicts in public university in Kenya due to challenges, however, exploiting the opportunities can enhance their effectiveness. The study recommended that early conflict warning signs, often noticeable in their very nature should not be treated laggingly and reactively but proactively to lessen the nature they take in the end.

Influence of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices on Performance of Public Universities in Kenya

Purpose: The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices (SHRMPs) on performance of public universities.
 Methodology: This study was essentially guided by the Resource Based Theory, as exemplified by the philosophical inclination of the study was positivist ontology. The research used a descriptive research design, in a census approach. The target population of the study were all public universities in Kenya. Data was collected from 31 public universities in Kenya with the aid of a self-administered questionnaire. Out of the 117 questionnaires that were distributed, 110 were returned and were found to be usable providing a 71% response rate. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data.
 Findings: The main finding of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between the bundle of SHRMPs (rigorous recruitment, staff training, reward management and performance management), and performance of public universities in Kenya. The hypothesis of the study was that SHRMPs do not have an effect on the performance of public universities in Kenya. This finding was determined to be in tandem with the Resource Based Theory (Barney, 2001), which, among other points of emphasis, stresses the centrality of leveraging on people as key resources of an enterprise. The finding also resonated with empirical literature, including Al-Khaled & Chung (2020), who found that that entities which adopted strategic human resource management practices were able to sustainably improve their performance, and Mathushan & Kengatharan (2022), who found that the bundle of strategic human resource management practices, consisting of training, rewarding and performance management practices did positively impact on organizational performance.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The finding of this study, that SHRM practices positively and significantly influence the performance of public universities, are arguably expansionary to the Resource Based Theory (RBT), as proponed by Barney (2001). Although the Resource Based Theory does not directly address strategic human resource management practices as elements of performance, it postulated that business entities needed to focus internally to activate resources, the most important one of which is the people resource. It is the people resource which enables such entities to achieve competitive advantage in their operations, given that it is the human resource which mobilizes, and creates value from the other resources within the enterprise.
 In this respect, therefore, it follows that every intervention made towards creating and enhancing the human resource capacity, including, as conceptualized in this study; rigorous recruitment, staff training, rewarding them and strategically managing their performance, does count, towards enhancing the contribution of the human resources, as exemplified by the Resource Based Theory, and consequently, activating the essential asset, towards competitive organizational performance.
 More directly, this empirical finding, regarding the positive influence of strategic human resource management practices on performance of public universities in Kenya has implications with respect to the public universities in Kenya. The main one is that, the public universities ought to take deliberate measures in determining and selecting appropriate SHRMPs. Such practices, according to the Resource Based Theory (Barney, 2001), are expected to be valuable, inimitable, and rare and may not be substitutable, in ensuring that public universities, like any other organizations, are able to sustainably achieve competitive advantage in their markets. This is further corroborated by the findings of Sagwa, K’Obonyo and Ogutu (2014), who averred that investing in human resources was crucial in promoting organizational performance. 
 It is also the considered opinion of this study that, the finding that SHRMPs positively influenced the performance of public universities in Kenya, constituted new knowledge, at least, in extending the Resource Based Theory, as well as adding to the empirical literature with regard to strategic human resource management practices. Furthermore, the implications of the finding made, are more than likely to be relevant beyond the public universities sub-sector, and probably to include the entire public sector and, indeed, all organizations in general. 
 To this end, therefore; human resource managers, HR departments, and units within public universities and other public and private entities, other human resource management practitioners, policy makers in HR-oriented public and private sector, as well as the community of researchers in human resource management and the related other disciplines, are likely to find the finding of this study useful. This is particularly considering the study’s recommendation that organizations have to identify and adopt appropriate bundles of SHRMPs that would reliably enable them to attain and sustain their competitive levels of performance.
 

Assessment Of Utilization of Open Education Resources by Postgraduate Students in Selected Public University Libraries in Kenya

The demand for university education coupled with inadequate teaching/learning resources such as print resources whose cost among others contribute to very expensive education, has posed challenges to progression in university education in Kenya. As such, Open Education Resources (OER) have been championed as suitable alternative to complement educational resources in learning institutions with relevant, quality and up-to-date teaching/learning materials at little or no cost. Despite the increase in volumes provided freely under the Creative Common licenses, studies have shown that uptake of OER has remained low among students in Kenyan universities. This study therefore, assessed OER use by postgraduate students in three universities which are Nairobi University, Kenyatta University and Moi University. The study was guided by four objectives; to determine the level of OER awareness among postgraduate students, to determine the accessibility of OER by postgraduate students, to determine availability of ICT infrastructure which support utilization of OER and the promotion strategies employed by librarians to enhance awareness of OER among postgraduate students. The study employed descriptive survey design approach. Random sampling method was used to obtain requisite number of respondents. The target population was the 34,445 postgraduate students and university librarians in the selected libraries in public universities in Kenya. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study concluded that OER awareness significantly contributed to OER utilization by postgraduate students. The findings also concluded that OER accessibility enhanced OER utilization. In addition, ICT infrastructure was critical in supporting OER resources while promotional strategies that include lecturers influence, policies and guidelines, training, workshop and OER sensitizations contributed to OER adoption. The study recommended that academic libraries need to develop OER policies to guide on utilization of OER. Universities should also ensure there is adequate ICT infrastructure to support OER resources and students should be sensitized on OER, trained on how to use the OER facilities and onsite staff should be available to support the students. Internet and power should also be stabilized in order to ensure accessibility of OER without any interruption.

Mediating Effect of Organisational Capabilities on Relational Contract and Performance of Academic Staff at Selected Public Universities in Kenya

Academic staff performance in higher education institutions globally, is seen as a fundamental driver of economic growth achieved through the dispersion of knowledge towards manpower development. The complexity of academic staff performance in Kenyan universities has drawn criticism. Relational contract is thought to have an impact on employee attitudes and performance. The objective of the study envisaged examining how organizational capabilities mediated the relationship between academic staff performance and relational contract at selected Kenyan public universities. This study was conducted using descriptive and explanatory research design. This study targeted six public universities whose student populations were above 15,000 and a minimum of 4 similar schools across the universities. The target population was 6 selected public universities with a population size of 6,271 academic staff. The sample size was 362 academic staff of the selected schools in the selected public universities. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire, bearing both structured and semi-structured questions. The findings established that organisational capabilities partially mediated association between academic staff performance and relational contract in selected Kenyan public universities. The study concluded that institutional capabilities such as organizational leadership, organizational communication and organizational culture are necessary ingredients that universities need to implement sustainable relational contract which can result in not only high performance of staff but also sustainable performance. The study recommends that management of public universities in their pursuit of increased staff performance should invest in modern, working and reliable organisational capabilities which will create a conducive environment for effective management of relational contract between the universities' management and staff.

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT AS PER THE ISO 9001:2015 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND POST-EXAMINATION SERVICES DELIVERY IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

The examination is among the crucial processes of any university quality management system and as such, quality should be maintained at all levels. Several inefficiencies in post-examination services delivery have occurred in Kenyan public universities many of which were implementing ISO 9001: 2015 QMSs. Doubt arose on the extent to which adoption of ISO 9001 QMSs had translated to quality service delivery in these institutions. The study was guided by two objectives; to determine the extent to which Kenyan public universities pursue continual improvement as per ISO 9001:2015 QMS and to establish the relationship between continual improvement and post-examination services delivery in public universities in Kenya. A mixed methods research design was employed. The study targeted various examination process stakeholders in all 26 ISO 9001:2015 certified public universities in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to sample 6 directors of quality assurance, 6 directors of QMS and PC and 6 deputy registrars (examinations) while 297 examination coordinators and 384 fourth-year students were sampled using a stratified sampling technique. Primary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interview schedules. The study established that generally, most public universities in Kenya to a large extent aspired for continual improvement in their core processes, functions and operations Regression analysis results revealed that continual improvement as per the ISO 9001: 2015 QMS requirements had a positive significant effect on post-examination services delivery in public universities in Kenya (β = 0.727, p = .000). The study concluded that it was crucial for these universities to optimize continual improvement in their key processes, operations and functions. Continuous analysis of data to assist in the identification of areas of service nonconformity for informed corrective measures to achieve continual improvement, in the long run, was recommended.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0567/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Moderating Influence of Sustainability Strategies on the Relationship between Institutional Management Practices and Performance of Chattered Public Universities in Kenya

Moderating Influence of Sustainability Strategies on the Relationship between Institutional Management Practices and Performance of Chattered Public Universities in Kenya

Effectiveness of gender policies in achieving gender equality in ocean science programmes in public universities in Kenya

The recently proclaimed Ocean Decade by the United Nations General Assembly is committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment in ocean science research and governance. This paper examines the status of gender equality in ocean science research across higher education institutes in Kenya. Kenya has ratified international conventions for gender equality and developed national and institutional gender equality and sexual harassment policies as its commitment to promoting equitable access to education. However, it is poorly understood whether the implementation of these policies has been successful at the institutional level. This study explores the effectiveness of the institutional gender policies in public universities delivering ocean science-related degrees. Existing policies were analysed using the Gender Integration Continuum and gender ratios of enrolled students and recruited staff in ocean science-related fields investigated. The study identified that while some policy provisions included gender-transformative strategies to increase women in science-related courses, many were outdated. Gender-disaggregated data showed fewer female students and female staff in management positions compared to men. Additionally, the proportion of women in academic posts declined with the seniority of employment level, and women were more likely than men to occupy non-tenured positions. In conclusion, it appears that the presence of gender policies does not necessarily translate to gender balance across the universities. We offer some explanations as to why this should be and where to direct future research needs.