Voices from Within: Academic Staff Perspectives on Retention in Church of Uganda-Founded Universities

Abstract

This study examined academic staff perspectives on retention within Church of Uganda–founded universities, focusing on how institutional practices and work environments shape decisions to remain in or leave these faith-based higher education institutions. Guided by an interpretivist qualitative paradigm, the study adopted a multiple case study design to capture in-depth, contextually grounded insights from two chartered church-founded universities in Central Uganda. The objective was to explore how academic staff across ranks interpret retention strategies related to workload, work–life balance, career progression, recognition, promotion prospects, and collegial support. Participants comprised 48 academic staff members, including Teaching Assistants, Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, and Professors, purposively selected based on their roles, experience, and relevance to the study focus. Data were generated through semi-structured individual interviews, focus group discussions, and document review, using standardised open-ended interview guides to ensure consistency while allowing rich narrative expression. Data analysis followed a thematic analytical approach, involving iterative coding, categorisation, and interpretation to identify patterns and meanings across cases, supported by thick description and verbatim quotations. The findings revealed that academic staff retention is shaped by interconnected structural, relational, and values-based factors. Key themes included workload distribution and balance, work–life balance and flexibility, opportunities for career progression, recognition and promotion prospects, and work environment and collegial support. Participants indicated that transparent workload systems, equitable access to flexibility, clear career pathways, credible recognition and promotion mechanisms, and supportive collegial cultures enhanced commitment and intention to stay. Conversely, perceived inequities, opaque promotion processes, limited mentorship, and exclusion from decision-making weakened attachment, even where alignment with the university’s Christian mission was strong. Interpreted through Human Capital Theory, Equity Theory, and Social Exchange Theory, the findings show that retention is sustained when institutional investments are perceived as fair, reciprocal, and supportive of long-term academic growth. The study concludes that effective retention in church-founded universities requires intentional alignment between faith-based values, institutional policies, and lived staff experiences. It recommends the institutionalisation of transparent workload frameworks, structured mentorship and career development pathways, inclusive recognition and promotion systems, equitable work–life balance practices, and participatory governance to strengthen academic staff retention and institutional sustainability