Assessment of Student Leaders’ Performance of Functions in Managing Student Affairs in Selected Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

The Universities Act, 2012 outlines the responsibilities of student leaders in the provision of student services in universities in Kenya. Despite the universities having student leaders to oversee and plan the welfare of students, there are still regular complaints over the unsatisfactory students’ services provision causing students’ protests. The study sought to assess how student leaders performed their functions for effective management of student affairs. Descriptive survey research design was adopted and stratified random sampling was used to select student leaders. Data collection instruments were questionnaires. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results from the study revealed low performance as 52.4% of student leaders did not effectively execute their leadership mandate in managing student affairs and only 47.6% effectively performed their functions. This means that to a greater extent, student leaders are ineffective in management of student affairs. The low performance might have contributed to the constant conflicts between the students and university management in the recent past over the management of student affairs. The study recommends that student leaders should take their leadership responsibility more aggressively by being proactive in organizing welfare activities that address students’ concerns.