Psychological Contract Fulfilment and Employee Performance in the Kenya Police Service, Nairobi County

ABSTRACT: The study examines the influence of psychological contract fulfillment on employee performance within the Kenya Police Service (KPS) in Nairobi County. Psychological contracts encompass employees’ perceived expectations of their employers and play a critical role in shaping workplace dynamics. The research focuses on key dimensions, including perceived organizational support, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and organizational justice, and their impact on employee performance. The study employed a mixed-method research design, combining quantitative data from structured questionnaires and qualitative insights through a literature review. Data were collected from a sample of 351 respondents, using stratified random sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were applied, with regression analysis conducted to determine the relationship between the variables. The findings revealed that perceived organizational support had a strong positive correlation with employee performance (r = .713, p = .031), with respondents reporting high levels of organizational support, indicated by a mean score of 4.0516 on workplace relationships. However, individual support was rated lower, with a mean score of 2.6410, suggesting room for improvement in personalized attention. Organizational commitment and citizenship behavior showed moderate but non-significant correlations with employee performance, with mean scores of 4.1339 for commitment to work quality and 4.5100 for citizenship behavior. Organizational justice exhibited a weak correlation (r = .088) with performance, but fairness in compensation and treatment was highly rated, with a mean score of 4.3686. The study concludes that enhancing perceived organizational support, recognizing organizational citizenship behavior, and ensuring fairness through transparent decision-making processes are critical for improving employee performance in high-stress environments like Kenya Police. Future research should explore these dynamics in other sectors and examine external stressors’ impact on employee commitment and performance.

Keywords: Psychological Contract, Employee Performance, Organizational Commitment, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Organizational Justice, Perceived Organizational Support, Public Sector Performance