INFLUENCE OF STAFF MOTIVATION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT KENYA ELECTRICITY GENERATING COMPANY (KENGEN)

Statement of the Problem: This study sought to examine the relationship between employee engagement, employee motivation and employee performance. The overall objective of the study conducted in the year 2020 at KenGen was to assess critical elements necessary to motivate employees and enhance their engagement to enable the company achieve its vision and mandate. The specific objectives of the study were; to determine the influence of employee engagement on performance at KenGen and to determine the intervening effect of staff motivation on the relationship between employee engagement and performance at KenGen. The paper was anchored on William Kahn's Theory of Employee Engagement and supported by the Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. Methodology: This paper adopted descriptive research design. The unit of analysis consisted of 2,500 employees of KenGen. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected using questionnaires using survey monkey administered electronically to all employees, focus group discussions and stakeholder engagement. Secondary data was obtained from document review.  Drawing on relevant literature, some basic employee engagement and staff motivation antecedents were selected and analyzed using thematic content analysis process. Results: The results revealed that the company had high Organization Health Assessment (OHA) ratings on critical factors. The findings indicated that employees understood the organization core values and aligned their personal behavior to the same. Conclusion and Recommendation: The study concluded that organizational structure required improvement and treatment of all departments equally. Staff motivation had an enhancing mediating effect on employee engagement since it improved employee connection thereby improving the employer reputation. The study recommended that the Company should ensure that leadership is visible in communicating the vision, mission, values and corporate strategy to the staff. The study further recommended leveraging the existing formal and informal channels for communicating important issues to employees. Finally, the study recommended sponsoring women to take up technical courses. This will ensure a high number of qualified female technical staff are channeled into the workforce. Keywords: Employee Engagement, Staff Motivation, Leadership, Management Performance and KenGen