PERCEIVED REASONS FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AMONG CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF MOMBASA, KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the factors necessitating leadership development and social transformation among Catholic priests of the Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya. This study was informed by Transformative Learning Theory. The study used a mixed methods research design. A census sampling procedure was used and the respondents were limited to 185.  The data collection technique included interview guides and questionnaires. To establish reliability, the study used Cronbach's alpha (threshold = 0.70; report the obtained α for each scale). A pilot research was conducted to check the suitability, reliability and credibility of the data collection tools. The responses to both quantitative and qualitative questions were analyzed descriptively and thematic analysis, respectively. The study found a moderate positive association between factors necessitating leadership development and social transformation of Catholic priests in the Mombasa Archdiocese. Priests thought training in leadership was useful, relevant and a good way to build up confidence, developing community, advocacy and conflict resolution skills. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data to determine the relationship between the leadership development variables and social transformation of Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Mombasa. From the results of the multiple regression analysis, it was found that there is a strong positive correlation between factors necessitating leadership development and social transformation (r = .928), (p < .001), which implies that the independent variable collectively account for 38.1% of the variation in social transformation. Perceived necessity of leadership development was a significant predictor of social transformation (β = 0.342) in the regression results. The study recommends ongoing and systematic leadership development where pastoral, administrative and community skills are merged for the enhancement of the Church's social impact.