Accountable Leadership Practice and County Executives’ Governance in Kisii County, Kenya

Ethical leadership underpins good governance, promoting accountability, transparency, and integrity. In Kenya, despite constitutional frameworks and devolved governance, county governments face persistent unethical practices, including corruption and nepotism, undermining service delivery, public trust, and the objectives of devolution. It is against this background that this study sought to examine the Influence of Accountable Leadership Practice and County Executives’ Governance in Kisii County, Kenya. The theory that underpin the study was Authentic Leadership Theory. Descriptive research design was used, and it population was 228 consisting of County Executive Committee Members (Governor, Deputy Governor, and CECMs), Senior County Government Officials (Chief Officers and Directors procurement, finance officers and County Assembly Members (MCAs). Yamane Taro formula (1975) was used to calculate a sample of 145 participants that were selected purposively. Data was collected using questionnaire and interview schedules drawing both primary and secondary data. To ensure validity and reliability, the questionnaire underwent expert review. Content and face validity assessed through expert judgment, construct validity through convergent and divergent testing, and criterion validity by comparing responses with established benchmarks. Reliability was measured using Cronbach’s alpha, with a threshold of 0.70 considered acceptable and pilot study carried out in Bomet County. Qualitative data was analyzed through thematic content analysis, while quantitative data was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple regression analysis using SPSS V27, with findings presented in tables, figures, and charts. Results indicated that accountable leadership had a positive and statistically significant relationship with county governance (β = 0.192, t = 2.154, p = 0.033). This implies that an increase in accountable leadership is associated with improved county governance, with the relationship being statistically significant. Although the effect was weak, the findings suggest that strengthening accountability practices can contribute to better governance outcomes. The study therefore recommended that county leadership in Kisii should strengthen enforcement of accountability systems, enhance leadership capacity, and minimize political interference to ensure that accountable leadership practices translate into measurable improvements in county governance outcomes.

Accountable leadership, ethical leadership, accountable practice, County Governance, Accountability Systems

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