International Journal of Management and Leadership Studies
2025; 6(i): 494-518
ISSN:
2311 7575
GRIEVANCE HANDLING PROCEDURES AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN THE WATER SERVICE SECTOR IN KENYA. A CASE STUDY OF NAIROBI CITY WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY
Ezekiel Njathi Hans and Mr. David Kanyanjua
Published:
01 December, 2025
Volume:
6
Issue:
i
Keywords:
Grievance Handling Procedures, Employee Performance, Water Service, Kenya, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company
The practice of managing employee relations in organizations has been observed to
influence staff performance in one way or the other. For the practice to be more effective,
leaders and managers are required to adopt effective respect, good channels of
communication and build trust between individuals. The general objective of this study
was to assess the effect of grievance handling procedures on employee performance of
NCWSC Ltd. The Pluralist theory served as the primary theoretical framework for
theoretical debate. 3239 middle and upper-level management staff members at NCWSC
who were eligible for unionization made up the study's target population. Using a
stratified selection strategy, 356 individuals were selected from the target population to
serve as the sample, and data were gathered through the use of questionnaires as research
instruments. A descriptive research design was employed in the study. a pilot study to
confirm the reliability and validity of the research. The data were assessed using both
descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 22. Study findings were
presented using graphs, tables and descriptive summaries. The study established that;
Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company's grievance resolution process is effective in
settling disagreements, according to survey participants, who moderately agreed on an
average mean score of 3.5266. With a correlation coefficient of r = 219 and a p-value of
008, grievance resolution demonstrated a modest but significant positive link, suggesting
that there is a slight benefit to improving grievance resolution. Finally, a moderate
regression effect (β =.187; p = 0.019) of grievance handling procedures on employee
performance suggested that settling grievances has a beneficial impact on employee
performance. The study concludes that grievance handling procedures have a positive
influence on employee performance at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage company. The
study found that poor co-ordination between part at NCWS in grievance resolutions. The
study recommends fostering collaboration between key stakeholders, such as employees,
management and labor unions, to create a transparent and structured grievance
resolution process.