Influence of nepotism on institutional leadership in public secondary schools in Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

This study focused on investigating how nepotism influences institutional leadership in public secondary schools in Kajiado County, Kenya. Nepotism is a reality that has serious consequences manifested in its impact on the unity and cohesion of the nation. Nepotism is not a new phenomenon in the labour market. Nepotism has not spared the teaching profession. The study was guided by the following objective: to establish the influence of nepotism on institutional leadership in public secondary schools in Kajiado County, Kenya. The study adopted a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The researcher used the concurrent triangulation design which involved the collection of two types of data within the same time frame. The target population consisted 783 participants comprising 8 Education Officers (EOs), 60 principals, 60 deputy principals and 655 teachers. The sample size comprised 25 principals, 25 deputy principals, 5 Education Officers (EOs) and 185 secondary school teachers. The study employed simple random sampling techniques to select the education officers, deputy principals and teachers, purposive sampling for the selection of principals and stratified sampling techniques for selection of public secondary schools. Questionnaires, interview guides and document analysis checklists were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially and presented using tables and pie-charts. Inferential statistics were analyzed using simple linear regression and presented in a table. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form and quotations. The study found that the level of nepotism in the education sector is getting worse as its influence is manifested in the employment of teachers by Board of Management (BOMs), transfer of teachers by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), awarding of contracts and tenders by principals, politicians giving out donations in the form of school development, employment of support staff by the BOMs, selection of BOMs and replacing students who do not report after the selection exercise which is done by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The study concluded that nepotism influenced institutional leadership in public secondary schools. The study recommends that efforts should be made to ensure transparency; fair treatment and meritocracy are upheld at all times during the appointment, recruitment, selection, transfers and promotions of principals, teachers and support staff by both the TSC and the BOMs. The study also recommended that all public secondary schools must have at their disposal all the relevant legal and administrative documents in their respective schools and principals and BOMs should ensure these documents are placed in the staff rooms, libraries, waiting rooms and relevant offices and departments with KEMI and MOE providing mandated policy compliance kits directly to ASAL schools. The study further recommends that, the Ministry of Education (MOE) should ensure the compulsory training of all newly appointed principals, BOMs and Parents Association (PAs) officials in public secondary school to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge that will assist them in carrying out their roles within the schools as required by law without compromising the integrity and dignity of their schools.