Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part L (2025)

Transformational leadership (TL) has been an increasing focus of discussion on effective leadership and organizational change in higher education over the past decade. The three countries in East Africa, namely Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, experience several challenges in their public universities such as low funding, bureaucratic style of management and accountability gaps. Therefore, this qualitative document analysis assesses the degree to which transformational leadership contributes to institutional development and academic performance in public universities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The study synthesized data from journal articles, government reports and institutional policies published between 2014 and 2024. Results indicated that TL positively impacts staff motivation, institutional innovation, and research productivity, however, it has limitations due to the politicized nature of governance structures and lack of leadership capacity training. Consequently, the study recommended establishing formalized leadership development frameworks and strong regional collaborations to support higher education transformation