Assessment of Competencies of Secondary School Principals in Kisii County, Kenya

The question of performance in education has occupied center stage in educational discourse the world over. Many factors have been attributed to influence performance in schools. At the secondary school level in Kenya, principals have been thought to play a crucial role in the performance of students. In Kisii county, the performance of students in examinations has not been impressive and this has partly been blamed on principals. The purpose of this study was therefore to assess the competencies of the principals in Secondary schools in Kisii. The main objectives of the study were to: Determined the competencies of principals in terms of human resource management, general management, financial management, carrying out action research, curriculum development and implementation; and to assess the competencies of the principal in adhering to established supervision criteria. The study used a mixed method research design and within it used concurrent triangulation design. The target population was 360 principals, 360 Board of Management Chairpersons (BOMs), 11 Sub-County Directors of Education (SCDs) and 11 Quality Assurance and Standard Officers (QASO). The sample population consisted of 36 principals, 9 QASOs, 9 SCDs and 36 BOM Chairpersons selected through simple random sampling. Questionnaires and interview guides were used for data collection. The validity of the instruments was ensured through expert vetting. The reliability of the instruments was ascertained through piloting and use of the test-retest method. It was found out that the principals’ competencies in human resource management was poor, general management was average, competencies to carry out action research was average, curriculum development and implementation was average, and supervisory competencies were poor. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the principal should be taken through an education programme to improve their competencies.