MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF GARISSA COUNTY

Abstract

Employee motivation is central to productivity, commitment, and effective public service delivery. However, employees in the County Government of Garissa continue to face constraints that include limited training opportunities, concerns about remuneration, inadequate resources, weak communication, political interference, and insufficient recognition. This study examined the effects of employee training needs and remuneration on employee performance in the County Government of Garissa. The study was guided by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory, Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, and Goal-Setting Theory. A descriptive correlational design was used. The target population comprised 184 employees, from whom a stratified random sample of 126 respondents was selected. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Of the 126 questionnaires distributed, 97 were completed and returned, yielding a response rate of 77.0%. Data were analyzed in SPSS Version 28 using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, analysis of variance, and linear regression. Employee training needs had a strong positive association with employee performance (r = .765, p < .001), while remuneration had a moderate positive association with performance (r = .522, p < .001). In the multivariate model, training was the stronger predictor (β = .329, p = .001), followed by remuneration (β = .274, p < .001). The two predictors jointly explained 46.8% of the variance in employee performance (R² = .468). The study concludes that systematic training needs assessment, continuous professional development, and fair, transparent remuneration can strengthen employee performance and public service delivery. The County Government of Garissa should institutionalize regular capacity-building programmes and remuneration practices aligned with national public-sector guidelines.

Authors and affiliations

• Amin Bille Abdullahi¹ · Corresponding author

  Management University of Africa

  Kenya

  aminabdullahi98@gmail.com

• Francis Macharia²

  Management University of Africa

  Kenya

Publication details

Journal

Nexus International Journal of Applied Science, Medicine and Social Sciences

Publication date

July 2026

Volume

1

Issue

2

Issue title

Inaugural Issue

Pages

374-383

Article type

Original Article

Discipline

Public Administration and Human Resource Management

Publisher

Nexus Academic Press

e-ISSN

3144-2196

Published paper ID

NIJAMSS-V1S2-AUG2026-014

Registration ID

NIJAMSS-V1S2-AUG2026-014

Paper number

014

Country

Kenya

Peer review

Peer Reviewed

Access

Open Access

Article URL: https://www.nijamss.org/articles/motivational-strategies-employee-performance-county-governments-kenya-a-case-study-garissa-county/

Full-text PDF: https://www.nijamss.org/articles/motivational-strategies-employee-performance-county-governments-kenya-a-case-study-garissa-county/full-text.pdf

Declarations and acknowledgements

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

873343

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Garissa County Government for granting permission and facilitating the conduct of the study. Appreciation is also extended to the study participants for their cooperation during data collection and to the Management University of Africa for the academic and institutional support provided during the research. The authors further acknowledge Mr. Francis Macharia for his academic guidance and support during the study.

References

References have not been supplied as separate metadata. Please consult the full-text PDF for the article's reference list.

Citation

Amin Bille Abdullahi¹, Francis Macharia² (2026). MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF GARISSA COUNTY. NIJAMSS, 1(2), 374-383. https://www.nijamss.org/articles/motivational-strategies-employee-performance-county-governments-kenya-a-case-study-garissa-county/