Career Development and Employee Performance in Kenya Forestry Research Institute Headquarter In Muguga, Kiambu County

Abstract

Employee performance at Kenya Forestry Research Institute has been found to be poor, with more than one third of organization’s employees failing to meet deadlines, regarding accomplishing their tasks or organizational targets. This study sought to investigate the effects of career development practices on employee performance in Kenya Forestry Research Institute in Muguga, Kenya. The study was anchored Equity theory. The study used a positivism philosophy and a descriptive research design. The unit of analysis was Kenya Forestry Research Institute. The target population was all the 178 staff working in Kenya Forestry Research Institute in Muguga. A sample of 121 respondents was selected through stratified random sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used in collecting primary data. A pilot study was conducted to ensure the data collection tool is reliable. Analysis of qualitative data was carried out through thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics focused on frequency distribution, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Components of Inferential statistics ©Author(s) Licensed under Creative Common Page 124 include; Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis. The data was analyzed by the help of SPSS Version 25. The results obtained were presented both in tables as well as figures (pie charts and bar graphs). The study found that career development practices have significant effect on employee performance in Kenya Forestry Research Institute. The study also found that through career development, the employees are able to improve their skills. Henceforth, the study recommends that Kenya Forest Research Institute Headquarter should build trust, find mentors and encourage staff to continuously acquire new knowledge so as to enhance competency skills of its staff. Keywords: Career Development, Employee Performance, Skills Development, Advancement, Equal Opportunities