This study examined the relationship between principals' self-management, a core dimension of emotional intelligence, and student academic performance in public secondary schools in North Rift, Kenya, and tested whether school climate moderates this relationship. Although instructional leadership is widely studied, principals' capacity to regulate their own emotions, time, stress, and behaviour remains poorly understood in African and Kenyan contexts, where large class sizes, resource constraints, and high-stress environments place particular demands on self-regulation. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study drew a sample of 100 principals and 407 teachers from public secondary schools across nine North Rift counties, selected using the Yamane (1967) formula and simple random sampling. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and hierarchical moderated regression via Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 1); interview data supplemented and explained the quantitative patterns. The self-management scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.850). Principals' self-management showed a strong, statistically significant positive correlation with student academic performance (r = 0.736, p < 0.01) and remained a significant predictor in the multiple regression model (beta = 0.116, t = 2.012, p = 0.045) after controlling for self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship management. School climate significantly moderated this relationship (interaction effect = -0.1417, p = 0.0001): the effect of self-management on performance was strongest in schools with weaker climates (effect = 0.5623 at the 16th percentile) and weakened, though remained significant, as climate improved (effect = 0.2100 at the 84th percentile). This compensatory pattern indicates that self-management is especially valuable in less favourable school environments, functioning as a stabilizing leadership resource where organisational conditions are weakest. The study recommends that teacher training institutions and the Ministry of Education institutionalize emotional self-regulation, stress management, and time management training for principals, prioritizing schools operating in constrained or high-stress climates.

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