Abstract:
Higher education in Kenya has witnessed a plethora of challenges ranging from
unplanned growth, unrest, and reports of corruption, often leading to doubts about the
ability of these institutions to deliver on their mandates. This paper sought to establish
whether the existing set up of higher education and its leadership at the university are
adequately structured and prepared to withstand the demands of a dynamic social,
political and economic environment. We analysed literature on higher education and
identified themes of critical issues. The findings indicate that while adequate provisions
outline a clear management structure, international, national and local dynamics impinge
on the policy process to render the leadership more or less unable to control some critical
policies that impact higher education. This is particularly on matters of funding. Power
struggles and national politics cascade to the university level, impacting negatively on
leadership. Both institutional and academic autonomy is compromised while negative
ethnicity, poor management of resources and corruption as well as an emphasis on
academic qualification vis a vis technical competence in critical leadership positions such
as those on resource management continue to adversely affect the delivery of services.
