Mwangala, Stacy Anne Nafula2021-10-072021-10-072012-05Mwangala, S. A.N., (2012). Assessment of Leadership Challenges Facing Women Leaders in Academia among Selected Universities in Kenya. Daystar University, School of Business and Economicshttps://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3705Master of Business Administration in Strategic ManagementThe aim of this study was to investigate the challenges that women leaders in academia in selected universities in Kenya faced in their professional careers. It further sought to identify strategic responses that these women leaders used to counter these challenges, and the impact of their leadership on the performance of their respective universities. This study focused on women leaders in selected universities in Kenya. The population for this study was universities in Kenya; the target population was women in positions of leadership in Academia at the levels of Heads of Departments (HoDs) and above. It employed the use of purposive sampling to select the universities and census method to gather information from the target population. Descriptive research design was used in reporting the current trends and challenges of women leadership in the world, in Africa, in Kenya and, more specifically, in universities in Kenya. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques of research were applied, which included the use of questionnaires and face-to-face interviews as data collection tools and application of frequencies, means and percentages. The data was collected with the help of two research assistants and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 and Excel (2007) computer software. The findings were laid out in pie charts, frequency distribution tables and bar graphs. The results of this study indicated that women leaders in academia faced two major challenges, namely male dominion and the women leaders’ own low self-esteem. The study highlighted various coping strategies. The overall impact of the women leaders on their various institutions was found to be positive but not any different from that of their male counterparts. From the findings of this research, two main recommendations were made and areas for further research suggested.enLeadership ChallengesWomen LeadersAcademiaUniversitiesKenyaThesis