Determinants of Employee Turnover in Kerio Valley Development Authority in Kenya

Abstract

Organizations worldwide are experiencing frequent employee turnover as per the number of studies that exist. The employee turnover rates in organizations in Kenya have drawn a lot of concern from the scholars in Human Resource Management and in the behavioral science due to its effects on organizational performance. While various factors have been observed as to why most employee are leaving organizations on voluntary or involuntary there seem to be a gap as to why this trend still continue to persist  in developing countries and more so in organizations in Kenya. This study sought to establish the determinants of employee turnover in Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) and to explore the possible remedies to the prevailing problem of high turnover rates in KVDA. Equity theory by John Stacy Adams which advocates that individuals will be better motivated if they are treated equitably and demoted if they are treated inequitably was used. The study adopted descriptive research design to generate data from the respondents of the study.  A sample size of 120 employees was selected from the targeted population of 600 employees using the stratified random sampling method. Questionnaires, interview schedules and observation checklists were used to collect data for this study. The collected data was subjected to methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis. From the study findings, poor compensation structures, lack of Human Resource Career Development Policies and low job satisfaction were the key factors that contributed to employee turnover at KVDA. The study therefore, recommends that the organization needs to review its compensation structure, formulate and implement Human Resource Career Development Policies and put strategies in place to enhance employee job satisfaction. The study suggests further studies should be carried out in other institutions in the public service in Kenya to ascertain whether similar findings are obtainable of turnover.

Key words: Employee Turnover, Kerio Valley Development Authority