Influence of human resource management practices on performance of water service companies in Kiambu county, Kenya

Abstract

Even though public Water Service Providers in Kenya are not profit making, they are supposed to be self-sustaining and with high customer satisfaction rate. As a result, this study seeks to establish the influence of human resource practices on organizational performance of water service providers in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study specifically seeks to establish the influence of talent acquisition, training and development and employee compensation on organizational performance of water service providers in Kiambu County, Kenya. Built on the Resource Based Theory, Reinforcement theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, this study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study targeted the 8 water service providers in the county under Athi Water Services board and licensed by Water service regulatory board. A total of 77 respondents comprising of 32 employees from Human Resource and 45 from Finance was targeted where a census considered adoption of the entire target population. Through structured questionnaires, quantitative data was collected and analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics to derive relationships between the variables. A statistical package for social sciences version 24 was used in the data analysis process. The findings were presented through tables and figures, are expected to spur policy recommendations aligning human resource to firm performance strategy. This study investigates the influence of human resource management practices— specifically talent acquisition, employee training and development, and employee compensation—on the performance of water service companies in Kiambu County. Findings reveal significant shortcomings in talent acquisition, with a mean score of 2.39 indicating ineffective recruitment processes that hinder the attraction of qualified candidates. Onboarding practices scored 2.56, suggesting poor integration of new hires into company culture, while competitive selection received a mean score of 2.53, highlighting inadequate hiring practices. Similarly, employee training programs were perceived as ineffective, with a mean score of 2.43, contributing to disengagement and unpreparedness among employees. Coaching practices were rated even lower at 2.29, indicating insufficient support for ongoing development. In terms of compensation, employees rated these programs at 2.43, viewing them as inadequate for supporting performance and motivation. Overall, the study concludes that water service companies in Kiambu County face significant challenges in their HR practices, necessitating comprehensive reforms in talent acquisition, training, and compensation strategies to enhance organizational performance and employee satisfaction. Recommendations include developing inclusive recruitment systems, enhancing training relevance, and reviewing compensation packages to foster a more motivated and effective workforce