Ethical and transformative higher education leadership: Catalyst for sustainable quality education in Kenya

Abstract

  In Kenyan universities, sustainable quality education is not only enabled by resources and policy formulation but also by leadership morality and institutional change abilities. This theoretical article is a synthesis of the current scientific literature and a chosen resource in policy to investigate the integration of ethical leadership (integrity, fairness, accountability) and transformative/transformational leadership (vision, empowerment, innovation in quality improvement beyond compliance). The study utilized secondary data exclusively and followed a PRISMA-inspired process of source recognition, screening, eligibility criteria checking, and inclusion, along with narrative thematic synthesis. The review reveals that leadership has an impact on (i) quality assurance culture and internal assessment, (ii) academic integrity and stakeholder trust, (iii) innovation of teaching–learning processes and digital readiness, and (iv) the use of universities as a public good and the involvement of the university in the community. Ethical leadership boosts institutional trust and reduces motivation to engage in rule-breaking, whereas transformative leadership helps to foster innovation, joint work in the form of problem-solving, and quality work that is sustainable. However, the evidence also reflects the continuing constraints, including politicization of governance, inadequate funding, and weak leadership development, that are not conducive to a sustained rate of quality improvement. The article suggests a combined Ethical-Transformative Leadership to Sustainable Quality Education framework and gives recommendations on leadership training, quality assurance redesign, and integrity regulation.