Contributions of Negotiated Democracy and Transformational Leadership in Devolved Systems in Kenya: A Research Agenda

Abstract

This paper reviews the extant conceptual and theoretical literatures on negotiated democracy and transformational leadership with a view of identifying its contribution on community development in devolved governance in Kenya. The introduction of devolved systems in country and regions previously marked by communal conflict, chronic insecurity, re-current shocks, marginalization and poverty underscores the need to assess elder-led negotiated democracy and transformational leadership and their contribution to community development. The level of development in a country are determined by the type and quality of leadership. Africa’s and by extension Kenya’s developmental failures are largely because of ineffective leadership, corruption, low public participation in political dispensation, ethnicity, weak institutional and governance structures. Negotiated democracy and transformational leadership plays a pivotal role in political and socio-economic agenda, democratic governance, conflict resolution in ethically divided communities, and development of the community and the Country. The paper summarizes the existing theoretical and conceptual knowledge gaps and proposes a theoretical model that will guide conducting of an empirical study.