Effect of Employee Training on Performance in Devolved County Governments in Kenya: Evidence from The Lake Region Economic Bloc

Employee training is an important human resource development intervention for improving employee knowledge, skills, competence, motivation and productivity. In devolved county governments, continuous training is particularly important because employees are required to respond to changing technologies, organizational responsibilities and public-service delivery demands. However, the effectiveness of training may be constrained by inadequate funding, inequitable access, weak training-needs assessment, inadequate evaluation and staff turnover. This study examined the effect of employee training on performance in five counties of Kenya's Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB): Kisumu, Kakamega, Nyamira, Homa Bay and Migori. The study adopted a quantitative and qualitative approach. Data were collected from County Executive Committee Members, Chief Officers, Directors, Principal Employees and Senior Employees. Training was examined in terms of availability, frequency, relevance and evaluation, while employee performance was assessed in relation to productivity, motivation, competence and achievement of performance objectives. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyze quantitative data, while qualitative responses were analyzed thematically. The findings established a statistically significant positive relationship between employee training and performance. Regression analysis produced an unstandardized coefficient of B = 0.638, standardized beta of β = 0.721 and p = 0.002. The model explained 52.0% of the variance in employee performance (R² = 0.520; adjusted R² = 0.517) and was statistically significant (F = 34.72, p = 0.003). The findings therefore provide strong empirical evidence that employee training is a significant predictor of employee performance in LREB county governments. However, unequal access to training, inadequate funding, weak training-needs assessment, limited post-training evaluation and staff turnover constrained the effectiveness of training programmes. The study recommends institutionalizing continuous and needs-based training, providing dedicated training budgets, strengthening post-training evaluation, expanding digital learning and ensuring equitable access to professional development opportunities.