DETERMINANTS OF LECTURES JOB COMMITMENT IN THE

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI AND SEKU, KENYA

 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

The growth and expansion of universities has been spurred by the emphasis placed by

governments which attach a heavy premium on university education as a critical enabler of

socio-economic growth and transformation (Bailey, Cloete and Pillay, 2013; Damtew and

Altbach 2014; World Bank 2009). Universities have the enormous mandate of assuring

development of the human resource with the requisite skills, knowledge and value systems

Bailey, et al, (2013). Every government invests heavily in the university education with a view of

assuring accelerated national development programmes associated with the quality of the human

resource component emanating from the systems (Naris &Ukpere, 2010).

Universities place their focus on the quality of their employees as a measure of assured

deliverables. This is in terms of the achievement of their mandates to the stakeholders (Naris

& Ukpere, 2010). The capacity of the lecturers is thus integral in the determination of the

caliber of graduates produced by the institutions Cheng and Tam (2007). This is the

ultimate in assuring the right impetus for university education to be a key driver of human

resource development (Torun & Cicekci, 2007).

Expansion in university education driven by the global dynamics has equally caused the numbers

of lectures and non-teaching staff to go up. (Onsongo 2007; Republic of Kenya 2006). The hype

that comes along with the acquisition of a degree certificate equally occasions great strain on the

institutions of higher learning taking into account the rise in student numbers (CUE, 2015). The

prevailing situation has thus caused the previously revered positions of university lectures and
auxiliary staff open to more numbers of persons in comparison to the yester years especially so

in the continent of Africa and other third world jurisdictions (Munene 2016).

The massive programmes to assure universal access basic education and related initiatives have

equally caused a spiraling of the numbers of qualifying students for university education

(Odebero, 2010). This occasions the need for more lectures to handling the growing populations.

The continued growth of the university education programmes coupled with stifled economic

prospects in terms of the capacity of the job markets to absorb the graduates forces them back to

school to seek higher academic qualifications (Kauffeldt 2009). This in turn pushes them to

academia by default on realization that it’s an opening for guaranteed job prospects (Owuor

2012; Gudo, 2011). The risks of passion for the field and patience for sustained personal

development are cast in doubt (UNESCO, 2005). This is going by the very circumstances of

joining the field, the risk of personal commitment to the herculean task of knowledge

dissemination in a higher institution of learning thus comes into play (Kaburu and Embeywa

2014).

The foregoing situation whereby we have very young members of the teaching staff attributed to

the need to seek employment is a challenge to many disciplines (Wangenge-Ouma 2012). The

growing numbers of students causes the universities to hire persons that they deem qualified as

pertains to the academic qualifications (Nyangau 2014; World Bank 2014). The challenge of

previous teaching experience in particular fields is however daunting to the universities. In some

professional programmes like law, engineering and information technology the propensity to

practice and earn from the skills is higher than acquiring further education to exploit academia

(Nganga 2014). This causes a clash between the old and seasoned lecturers and the young

contemporaries keen on earning a living. The question of the motivation to take up the lecturing
jobs comes into play from the old lectures in terms of age when the feel their fortes have been

invaded (Nyangau 2014; Munene 2016).

Institutional welfare systems in many universities in Africa have collapsed attributed to the

dearth of government financing and the withdrawal of donor support (Mwebi and Simwata 2013;

Kaburu and Embeywa 2014). Lack of facilities for teaching and learning makes the actual

delivery at work impossible for many lectures thus limiting them at work (Nyangau 2014;

Munene 2016). The failure to carry out basic renovations has seen the near total collapse of the

amenities and infrastructure requisite for delivery at work (Okioga, 2012). The net effect is the

compromise at work in terms of efficiency or total lack of commitment to duty (Kaburu et al,

2014).

Evidence of strained facilities in public universities in Kenya is imminent at the advent of the

shortages of lecture halls and increased numbers of students to cater for the module one and two

cadres (Munene 2016; Nyangau 2014). Failure to allocate funds for research and continuing

personal development of the lecturers is equally a challenge in terms of the achievement of the

requisite individual capacity (Kauffeldt 2009). The enormous student numbers notwithstanding

the funding cuts expose the universities to a myriad of problems causing the lectures to be

grossly demotivated at work and impacting negatively on their commitment (Mwebi and

Simatwa 2013).

The governance systems and structures equally affect the running and management of public

universities in Kenya (Kauffeldt 2009). The scarce resources affecting the public universities

cause them to have the lectures undertaking teaching responsibilities still carry out the

administrative duties thus straining and risking the loss of focus (World Bank, 2014). The risks

of affecting the quality of education in the affected institutions is real thus making the
programmes handled by the administrators cum tutors fail to flourish Nyangau (2014). The

failure to adhere to merit in the quest of according promotions and determination of the

administrators at times equally overwhelms them occasioning lack of objectivity and

commitment at work (Kauffeldt 2009).

University of Nairobi is the oldest public university nationally and it was established in the year

1970 on the dissolution of the University College of Nairobi (UON, 2014). The University of

Nairobi has six constituent colleges and it boasts the feat of being the largest institution of higher

learning nationally. The constituent colleges were established in the year 1985 by an act of

parliament with a view of taking care of the increasing student population (UON, 2014). The

college has a huge number of teaching staff which it relies on for the purposes of assuring the

delivery of its mandate as entails dissemination of knowledge to the students taking studies in the

institution. The premier university status makes it very attractive to a high number of students.

This occasions an oversupply of their numbers in comparison to the teaching staff outlay

(Economic Survey, 2014). Anecdotes from the university point to disenchantment from the

lectures mainly attributed to heavy workloads occasioning low commitment at work.

South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) is located in Kitui County and it was born from

Ukambani Agricultural Institute which was a constituent college of the University of Nairobi.

The institution is domiciled at Kwa-Vonza off the Kitui-Machakos Highway (SEKU, 2016). The

institution is a fully-fledged public university by virtue of getting a charter from the commission

of university education. The university has customized programmes for agriculture with a focus

on dry land, hydrology geared towards benefitting the local area which is water scarce, natural

resources, minerals and mining with focus in the local area which has abundant minerals (SEKU,

2016). This gives the institution the face of the local area and casts it in the light of a solution
provider more so with regards to marrying academia with industry. The harsh environment has

made the institution fail to attract lectures and evidence of high turnover is vivid from the

organizational records. The need to find out the determinants of lectures job commitment in the

university is thus imperative.

1.2 Statement of the problem

A survey carried out by the World Bank in public universities in Kenya (2014) found out that

the job commitment levels for the lectures and non-teaching staff were low attributed to under-

funding. Evidence of political meddling as a factor occasioning low job commitment was

posited by Kauffeldt (2009). This was confirmation of low job commitment levels which could

be led by diverse circumstances in the running and management of the institutions. The low job

commitment runs the risks of impaired lecturer outputs occasioning graduate quality

deficiencies.

Despite the enormous significance attached to the public universities research on lectures job

commitment has not been sufficiently undertaken. Studies by Wainaina, 2015; Okwatch 2015;

Migosi, 2012; Ambasa 2014 placed great emphasis on organizational commitment by university

staff as a measure of their output at work. This thus creates a dearth of research information as

pertains to the determinants of lectures job commitment in the universities thus the focus on the

two public institutions of higher learning. The study thus seeks to find out the determinants of

lectures job commitment in the university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya

1.3 Purpose of the study

The study seeks to find out the determinants of lectures job commitment in the university of

Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya.

1.4 Research objectives
The following objectives will guide the study:

i) To determine the influence of demographic characteristics on lecturer job commitment in the

university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya.

ii) To find out how the institutional welfare systems influence lecturer job commitment in the

university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya.

iii) To determine the extent to which workload influence lecturer job commitment in the

university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya.

iv) To analyze the extent to which administrative positions influence lecturer job commitment in

the university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya.

1.5 Research questions

The study will be guided by the following research questions:

i) How do the demographic characteristics influence lecturer job commitment in the university of

Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya?

ii) To what extent do the institutional welfare systems influence lecturer job commitment in the

university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya?

iii) How does workload influence lecturer job commitment in the university of Nairobi and

SEKU, Kenya?

iv) To what extent do the administrative positions influence lecturer job commitment in the

university of Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya?

1.6 Significance of the study
The public universities may benefit at the advent of enhanced commitment levels by the lectures.

This is accrued from the knowledge that may be disseminated. This may give impetus for

increased commitment by employees even in other public sector facets.

Human resource management is critical to the output posted by the employees. The study bring

forth information that will be of value to the practitioners in the sector. This may ultimately give

good tidings as regards the future management of the human resource component more so as

pertains to the aspect of individual commitment.

The study may contribute to the body of knowledge on employee commitment. This is because

commitment is pertinent to individual output. The document produced by the end of the study

will be a good point of reference by other researchers in future.

1.7 Limitations of the study

The study may encounter the following limitations:-

The study may encounter the challenge of individual bias with a predisposition to considered

favourable responses. The study will augment primary data with secondary sources as a basis of

corroborating the individual responses.

Job commitment relates to the very core of individual output and performance at work. This

occasions the challenge of confidentiality on the personal accounts of the target lectures and the

institutions. The study will proffer an assurance of confidentiality and non-disclosure of personal

and generalized information as a basis of encouraging respondent participation.

1.8 Delimitations of the study
The study seeks to find out the determinants of lectures job commitment in the university of

Nairobi and SEKU, Kenya. Emphasis will be placed on demographic characteristics, the

institutional welfare systems, workload and the administrative positions influence on lecturer job

commitment. The study will have the lecturers and non-teaching personnel as the respondents

for primary data provision.

1.9 Assumptions of the study

The study will have the assumptions that:

i) Respondents will provide honest answers to enable the success of the study

ii) The study variables play a significant role in influencing lecturer job commitment

iii) The information forthcoming from the study will be of value in terms of influencing

practice and management in the human resource component enough to enhance policy

pertaining to lecturer job commitment.

iv) The methodologies envisaged by the study will be optimal with regards to assuring

generation of the requisite results.

1.10 Definition of significant terms

Administrative positions refer to the apportioned responsibilities accorded to a lecturer

above the normal teaching duties:

Demographic characteristics refers to the individual disposition with regards to personality

traits entailing gender, age, ethnic and religious persuasions

Institutional welfare systems refer to the physical, psychological and geographical support

systems put in place for the lectures in the universities including facilities.
Workload refers to the volume of work that the lecture is responsible for in terms of the

envisaged deliverables

1.11 Organization of the study

Chapter one has the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study,

objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, limitations of the study,

delimitations of the study, assumptions of the study and definition of significant terms. Chapter

two has the literature review entailing the empirical review drawn from the study objectives, the

summary and gaps to be filled by the study, the theoretical and conceptual frameworks.

Chapter three has the research design, target population, sample size and sampling techniques,

research instruments, validity of instruments, reliability of instruments, data collection

procedures, data analysis techniques and ethical considerations. Chapter four has the data

analysis, interpretation and presentation of findings. Chapter five has the summary of findings,

conclusions and recommendations.