Perception of Corporate Governance Practices at the University Of Nairobi

Abstract

This study aimed at determining how corporate governance practices of public universities, impact on decision making and leadership processes. Public universities are complex institutions and the expectations of their stakeholders are continuously changing and increasing. This is especially in terms of quality of service and academic performance. It is also known that management reforms and leadership capability are continuously become critical in institutional capacity building. This is a case study of University of Nairobi carried in 2004. A sample size of 200 respondents was selected The study showed that poor governance structure resulted in bad leadership and bureaucratic decision making. This in turn negatively impacted on the quality of services in the university. The paper recommends a review of governance structure, with a view of improving the management processes and decision making at the university. It further recommends improvement of communication and capacity building of University Administrators on leadership and management skills. The results of this study had a heavy implication on the overall management and governance of public institutions, especially the introduction of competitive selection and appointment of Vice-chancellors and senior university staff. This has since greatly enhanced the performance of public universities in Kenya and contributed to their competitive positioning in the region and the continent