Performance based compensation practices at the national Police service in Kenya

Abstract

Studies all over the world have over the years indicated that performance based compensation practices have been adopted to boost employee performance. Several other studies have tackled the question of why this is so and a number of theories have been developed to explain the same. The National Police Service in Kenya is faced with issues of efficiency in operation, productivity and high staff turnover. Such issues must be dealt with. The National Police Service in Kenya must implement motivational structures that will attract, retain and motivate employees thus the objective of this study was to determine performance based compensation practices at the National Police Service in Kenya. The research design used was a case study. The study targeted all unit/formation commanders at the National Police Service. An Interview guide was used to collect primary data from the respondents. Content analysis was used to analyse the responses from the interviews. The major findings of the study indicated that the National Police Service practised performance based compensation even though they are specific to their department. They also agreed that compensating officers for work done acted as a major motivator in service delivery. The study concluded that the National Police Service practised performance based compensation. The researcher, however, suggests that a similar study be carried out targeting junior staff to get their perspective concerning the issue. In summary, the study noted that all the unit/formation commanders stated that the National Police Service practiced performance based compensation programs which were specific for the police service. The researcher recommends that senior officers at the National Police Service should take it as a primary responsibility for ensuring that there are no barriers occasioned by organizational ranks whenever they plan and adopt any performance based compensation policies.