Career Mentoring and Employee Performance in Multinational Companies in Mombasa County, Kenya

Authors

Lilian Amanda Asiago

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya)

Peris Koech

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya)

Article Information

DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.100300442

Subject Category: Management

Volume/Issue: 10/3 | Page No: 6093-6103

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-03-21

Accepted: 2026-03-26

Published: 2026-04-12

Abstract

The general objective of this study was to examine the influence of career mentoring on employee performance in multinational companies in Mombasa County, Kenya. The study’s theoretical review was grounded on a theory that is applied in human resource management namely social exchange theory. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design. The first level target population was twenty multinational companies with offices domiciled in Mombasa County, Kenya as at end of year 2024. The accessible population was made up of four hundred and seventy three (473) staff from these companies including management, supervisory and clerical staff cadres and these constituted the unit of observation for the study. Nasiurma (2000) formulae was used to derive a sample of 110 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used to facilitate data analysis. Pilot study results showed the items were reliable based on the Cronbach alpha scores returned which were above .70 which is regarded as the lower limit. Validity subsets of face and content were tested using human resource management experts who gave the instrument a general clean bill of health and KMO and Bartlett tests returned appropriate scores to indicate construct validity in the data. The study established that career mentoring had a significant influence on employee performance in multinational companies in Mombasa County, Kenya (r = .719, p-value = .000) The study recommends that in multinational companies staff ought to be encouraged to have development plans in readiness for opportunities to realize growth since they are the drivers of their own progression and must take control of the same. Additionally, mentors in multinational companies need to facilitate the development and learning process by assigning stretching assignments to mentees, which is meant to stretch their reasoning capacity and proactiveness in all dealings.

Keywords

Employee Performance in Multinational Companies, Career Development Strategies, Career Mentoring

Downloads

References

1. Aggarwal, A., Sadhna, P., Gupta, S., Mittal, A., & Rastogi, S. (2022). Gen Z entering the workforce: Restructuring HR policies and practices for fostering the task performance and organizational commitment. Journal of public affairs, 22(3), e2535. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Arif, F. (2021). The influence of transformational leadership, discipline, productivity on employee performance. Scientific Journal of Reflection: Economic, Accounting, Management and Business, 4(1), 51-60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Ayodo, I. A. (2022). Career development practices and employee job satisfaction among academic staff in public universities in Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, JKUAT-COHRED). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Britton, W. B., Lindahl, J. R., Cooper, D. J., Canby, N. K., & Palitsky, R. (2021). Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs. Clinical Psychological Science, 9(6), 1185-1204. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Buberwa, E., Nzulwa, J., & Kamaara, M. (2024). Effect of Employee Mentoring on Performance of Universities in Tanzania. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(1), 422-431. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Fauchald, R. N. (2025). Extracurricular Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Education: What, How, Why, for Whom, and When?. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 8(1), 11-39. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Goldschmidt, G., & Matthews, B. (2022). Formulating design research questions: A framework. Design Studies, 78, 101062. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Gwadoya, W. K., & Otsyulah, J. (2023). The Influence of Career Development Strategy on Employee Performance of Level Five Hospitals in Kenya-The Case of Vihiga County Referral Hospital. European Journal of Human Resource Management Studies, 7(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Gomes, V., & Santos, M. (2025). Career Prospects for Human Resource Management Professionals in Portugal. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 24(1), 123-135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Griffin, M., Calvert, P., & Gupta, D. (2023). Persistent atrial fibrillation ablation: ongoing challenges defining the target population and substrate. Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine, 25(10), 461-475. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Ibua, M., Kariuki, A., & Kamau, C. G. (2023). Effect of On-the-Job Training Techniques on Performance of SMES in Mombasa County. South Sahara Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(1), 17-27. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Kao, K. Y., Hsu, H. H., Lee, H. T., Cheng, Y. C., Dax, I., & Hsieh, M. W. (2022). Career mentoring and job content plateaus: The roles of perceived organizational support and emotional exhaustion. Journal of Career Development, 49(2), 457-470. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Kayaki, E. M. (2023). Sales Management Strategies and Performance of Cooking Oil Manufacturing Companies in Nairobi City County, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, Kenyatta University). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Meira, J. V. D. S., & Hancer, M. (2021). Using the social exchange theory to explore the employee-organization relationship in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(2), 670-692. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. McDonald, K. S., & Hite, L. M. (2023). Career development: A human resource development perspective. Taylor & Francis. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Meyer, M., & Mayrhofer, W. (2022). Selecting a sample. The SAGE handbook of qualitative research design, 2, 273-289. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Mumo, R., Mwangangi, L., Warfa, A. O., Ondigi, S., & Bwire, A. (2024). Opportunities and Challenges in Developing the 21st Century Teacher: Case of Kenyatta University Mentorship Programme in Matungulu Sub-County, Machakos County-Kenya. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 8(4), 24-36. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Mutiganda, J. C., Wiitavaara, B., Heiden, M., Svensson, S., Fagerström, A., Bergström, G., & Aboagye, E. (2022). A systematic review of the research on telework and organizational economic performance indicators. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1035310. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Palmer, N. J., Davies, J., & Viney, C. (2023). Employability, Career Management and Postdoctoral Outcomes in Business and Management. In Business and Management Doctorates World-Wide: Developing the Next Generation (pp. 103-124). Emerald Publishing Limited. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. ‘Pandey’, M. P. (2025). Innovative research methods in comparative education: emerging trends and applications. Discover Education, 4(1), 210. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Selviyanti, N. H., Anshori, M. I., & Andriani, N. (2023). Systematic literature review on optimizing organizational culture and competencies in improving employee performance. Enrichment: Journal of Management, 13(5), 2928-2941. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Vuong, B. N., Hieu, V. T., & Huyen, N. T. T. (2024). How organizational citizenship behaviors promote job performance: Evidence from the aviation industry. Business: Theory and Practice, 25(2), 458-467. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Wahedi, L. (2022). Employee inclusion in the recruitment process: A qualitative study of employee inclusion and the role of employees in decision making process in organizations in public sector. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Wilkinson, D., & Dokter, D. (2023). The researcher's toolkit: the complete guide to practitioner research. Taylor & Francis. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Wilson, G., & Luombe, K. (2023). International Talent, Swedish Opportunities: Attracting and Retaining the Best and the Brightest: Multiple case studies of Swedish Multinational firms. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Yildiz, D., Bozbura, F. T., Tatoglu, E., & Zaim, S. (2024). How do organizational career management activities influence employees’ career outcomes? The mediating role of career capital. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 32(9), 1805-1832. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Yin, J. (2024). The role of mentors’ paradox mindset on career mentoring: application of attachment theory. European Journal of Training and Development, 48(3/4), 407-421. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Zachary, L. J., & Fain, L. Z. (2022). The mentor's guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships. John Wiley & Sons. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

Metrics

Views & Downloads

Similar Articles