| dc.description.abstract | Occupational stress compromises the well-being and performance of Kenya National
Police Service (KNPS) officers in high-crime areas like Embakasi East Sub-County and
Nairobi County. This study examined the influence of workplace dynamics on
occupational stress among officers of the Kenya National Police Service (KNPS) in
Embakasi East Sub-County, Nairobi County. Specifically, it investigated how
organisational culture, interpersonal relationships and leadership styles contribute to
occupational stress among these officers. This study, guided by the Job DemandsResources
(JD-R) model, examined the impact of organisational culture, leadership
styles, and interpersonal relationships on occupational stress, aiming to assess cultural
effects, analyse leadership influences, and evaluate relational dynamics. A mixedmethods
convergent
parallel
design
was
employed,
collecting
data
from
72
officers
via
structured
surveys,
analysed
using
SPSS
version
28,
and
10
officers
via
semi-structured
interviews,
analysed thematically with NVivo. Quantitative findings revealed strong
positive correlations between occupational stress and organizational culture (r = 0.691,
p < 0.01), leadership styles (r = 0.635, p < 0.01), and interpersonal relationships (r =
0.617, p < 0.001), explaining 60.1% of stress variance (R² = 0.601, F(3,68) = 34.12, p
< 0.001), with culture as the strongest predictor (β = 0.492, p < 0.01). Qualitative data
complemented these findings, identifying hierarchical rigidity, resource scarcity,
authoritarian leadership, lack of feedback, and interpersonal conflicts as key stressors,
while supportive debriefings, transformational leadership, and team cohesion mitigated
stress. Integrated findings confirmed that rigid culture and unsupportive leadership
amplify stress, whereas resources like mentorship and peer support reduce it.
Recommendations include mental health programs, transformational leadership
training, and team-building initiatives tailored for high-crime stations like Embakasi
East. The study contributes to Kenyan policing research, with future studies
recommended to explore longitudinal stress impacts and societal influences on officers’
well-being. | en_US |
