EFFECT OF MORAL AND PSYCHO-EMOTIVE DIMENSIONS OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT IN THE TRANSPORT SECTOR PARASTATALS IN KENYA

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the moral and psycho-emotive dimensions of ethical leadership on employee commitment among senior managers in the transport sector parastatals in Kenya.Methodology: The study adopted positivist philosophy and descriptive correlational research design. The target population was 253 senior managers in the transport sector parastatals. A sample of 153 senior managers was selected from the target population using the stratified random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: Correlation analysis found a positive and significant relationship between the moral dimension and employee commitment, r(111) = .68, p < .05, and also between the psycho-emotive dimension and employee commitment r(111) = .79, p < .05. Results of multiple linear regression indicated that 55% of the variance in employee commitment were caused by the moral dimension, R2 = .55, F(1,111) = 137.93, p < .05; β = .72, p < .05, while 62% of the variance in employee commitment were caused by the psycho-emotive dimension, R2 = .62, F(1,111) = 179.95, p < .05; β = .77, p < .05. Ethical climate was found to significantly moderate the relationship between the moral and psycho-emotive dimensions of ethical leadership and employee commitment, R2 = .67, F(7,105) = 30.56, p < .05; β = .24, p < .05.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Previous studies on ethical leadership have focused on the ethical characteristics of the leader and behavioral traits in the Western settings. This study has provided an in-depth examination of ethical leadership and its effect on employee commitment in the African context.