MEDIATING EFFECT OF GOVERNANCE PRACTICES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE OF CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSIONS IN KENYA
Abstract
Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of governance practices on the relationship between responsible leadership and performance of constitutional commissions in Kenya.
Methodology: The study used a pragmatic explanatory sequential mixed methods design. A census of 117 senior officers yielded 103 responses (88%). Data were collected through questionnaires, 11 interviews, and document review. SPSS 28 and Hayes’ PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples were used for quantitative analysis, while qualitative data were analysed thematically.
Findings: Responsible leadership was positively associated with performance (r = 0.685, p < 0.001) and governance practices (r = 0.366, p < 0.001), while governance practices were positively associated with performance (r = 0.455, p < 0.001). The total effect of responsible leadership on performance was significant (B = 0.468, β = 0.685, p < 0.001). Responsible leadership significantly predicted governance practices (B = 0.314, β = 0.366, p < 0.001), and governance practices remained significant when responsible leadership was controlled (B = 0.188, β = 0.236, p = 0.002). The joint model explained 51.7% of performance variance. Most importantly, the bootstrapped indirect effect was 0.059 with a 95% confidence interval of [0.018, 0.119], which excluded zero. Governance practices therefore transmitted approximately 12.6% of the total responsible leadership-performance association, confirming statistically significant partial mediation and leading to rejection of H₀₂.
Conclusion: Governance practices significantly and partially mediate the relationship between responsible leadership and performance of constitutional commissions in Kenya. Responsible leadership operates through both an institutional pathway, in which leadership strengthens governance mechanisms that subsequently support performance, and direct non-governance pathways involving organizational culture, employee motivation, and stakeholder relationships.
Recommendation: Constitutional commissions should strengthen governance practices as active performance mechanisms rather than formal compliance structures. Leadership development should be accompanied by stronger fiduciary oversight, participatory decision-making, risk management, constitutional and statutory compliance monitoring, and performance management so that responsible leadership values are embedded in institutional routines and sustained beyond individual office holders.
Keywords: Governance Practices, Responsible Leadership, Organizational Performance, Mediation, Constitutional Commissions, Kenya
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