Exploring Effective Leadership Qualities in Private Higher Education Institutions in Kampala, Uganda. A Case of Africa Renewal University

Abstract

Leadership is a key part of the private higher education institutions in addressing challenges such as financial sustainability, academic quality, and institutional growth. Whereas the topic concerning effectiveness of leadership has been addressed all over the globe, there is not much known about how leadership qualities affect institutional performance within Uganda's private Universities (UNCHE, 2021). The study explored effective leadership practices using Africa Renewal University (AfRU) in Kampala as a case study. The specific purposes of the study were to identify effective leadership qualities within Africa Renewal University and to examine how leadership strategies contribute to performance, sustainability, and overall academic excellence of institutions. Mixed research design was adopted, using interviews and a survey as the main data sources. The sample populations included University leaders, lecturers, non-academic staff, and students for all categories of people to be included in the perspectives on leadership effectiveness at AfRU. From the study, transformational leadership appeared to be the most appreciated style by 86.96% of the students, 77.5% of the teaching staff, and 66.67% of the non-teaching staff. Overall, the leadership at AfRU was rated as average to good, and the respondents had their opinion on the effectiveness of leadership as neutral to somewhat positive. The findings call for better leadership strategies to enhance the performance and adaptability of the institution. Conclusively, the research provided insights into leadership effectiveness at AfRU and provided possible practical recommendations toward strengthening institutional growth and academic performance. The research filled the leadership gap in the enlarged body of knowledge of private higher education institutions in Uganda with findings relevant to similar contexts.