Influence of Recruitment Practices on Employee Job Performance in Matatu Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations in Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

Employee job performance remains central to service quality, operational reliability, and organizational sustainability in Kenya's public transport sector. Matatu Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations continue to experience performance inconsistencies linked to workforce quality, informal hiring procedures, and employee-job mismatch. This study examined the influence of recruitment practices on employee job performance among Matatu Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations in Meru County, Kenya. The study was anchored on Person-Job Fit Theory and supported by Human Capital Theory. A positivist research philosophy and descriptive-correlational design were adopted. The target population comprised 1,669 drivers, stage clerks, and management officials, from which 323 respondents were sampled using stratified and simple random sampling. Structured questionnaires generated 299 valid responses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. Findings showed that recruitment practices had a positive and statistically significant influence on employee job performance (r = .830, R² = .688, β = .830, t = 25.604, p = .000). The study concluded that equitable, transparent, merit-based, and competency-oriented recruitment enhances employee job performance. It recommended structured recruitment procedures, clear selection criteria, competency-based assessment, and merit-based hiring to improve workforce quality and service delivery.