Volunteer public leaders’ values-driven leadership: the case of village elders in Kenya

Village eldership, though a voluntary and non-salaried position, plays a crucial role in public leadership in Kenya. The choice of village elders has to be done in line with expected roles but guided, importantly, by the values needed for the office. Generally, some values (such as altruism, solidarity, reciprocity, equity, social justice, among others) are considered distinctive to active volunteers as they influence their outcomes and prosocial behaviour variation. The purpose of this study was to establish the relevance of values in volunteer leadership in the public sector in Kenya, and specifically focused on village elders. Thirty respondents (composed of village elders, chiefs and community members) were purposively chosen to participate in this qualitative study. The study, which was guided by the servant leadership framework, revealed that peace, respect, harmonious living, relationships, justice, honesty, and hard work are important values for volunteer leadership. These values influenced the village elders' attributable contribution, guided them in decision-making, and earned them respect while also providing them with the mandate to lead. The study contributes to the field of volunteerism by highlighting the place of values in public service leadership in Kenya, and in relation to village elders.