Reframing Accountability: Leadership’s Role in Enhancing Employment Act Compliance in Kenya’s Hotel Industry
Main Article Content
Keywords
Employee accountability, employment act, transformational leadership, hotel industry, compliance, Kenya
Abstract
Accountability in the work place is crucial for promoting effective performance across organizations. Holding employees accountable for their actions is an effective tool for managing the workforce. The hospitality sector in Kenya is characterized by a dynamic workforce and regulatory landscape with unique challenges in complying with the labour regulations while fostering a culture of accountability among employees. The current literature inadequately examines the nexus between regulatory compliance and accountability culture, resulting in a deficiency in understanding how hotels govern employee conduct, performance, and adherence to policies in these contexts. Furthermore, the adequate examination of the moderating function of leadership in the shaping of regulatory compliance on employee accountability has not been conducted. The existing literature often treats accountability and leadership as parallel constructs; however, their interaction may be crucial in promoting performance outcomes, motivation, and compliance. This study investigates the moderating role of transformational leadership in enhancing Employment Act compliance and employee accountability within Kenya’s hotel industry. Adopting a pragmatic paradigm and a concurrent explanatory research design, the research engaged 215 participants drawn from a target population of 465 employees across eight star-rated hotels. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select employees, while purposive sampling guided the inclusion of eight managers and two labour officers. Quantitative data were gathered through structured questionnaires, complemented by qualitative insights from interviews and dyadic discussions. Findings revealed that Employment Act compliance significantly and positively influenced employee accountability (β = 0.387, p < 0.05). Moreover, transformational leadership was found to moderate this relationship (β = 0.393, p < 0.05), suggesting that its presence strengthens the positive link between compliance and employee accountability. The study contributes to existing literature by reframing accountability within the hospitality sector and offering policy and managerial implications for governance, leadership, and compliance enhancement by integrating employment act compliance and accountability culture as co-dependent mechanisms of workforce governance. The findings could support labour policymakers and regulators in working alongside hospitality institutions to integrate transformational leadership practices into compliance frameworks, thereby fostering more engaged and responsive accountability cultures.
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Article Details
Carolyne Kiprop, School of Tourism, Hospitality & Events Management, Department of Hotel and Hospitality Management, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900, Kesses, Eldoret, Kenya
Ms. Carolyne Kiprop is a hospitality management scholar with a robust academic background in Strategic Management and Hospitality Management. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Hotel and Hospitality Management and later pursued a Master's Degree in Strategic management at Moi University. Currently, Ms. Kiprop is undertaking her PhD studies in Hospitality Management with an interest in Hospitality Law and Legal Aspects in Hospitality Management, where she explores regulatory frameworks and compliance mechanisms that shape operational standards across the hospitality sector.
Her academic and professional endeavors focus on bridging theory and practice, with a particular emphasis on evidence-based policy formulation. Her research interests span legal compliance, sustainable operations, and strategic leadership within the hospitality industry. She has contributed to interdisciplinary initiatives aimed at improving institutional accountability and service quality in tourism and hospitality enterprises.
Ms. Kiprop is also passionate about capacity building and institutional reforms that align with national development priorities and global best practices. Through her work, she advocates for policy-oriented scholarship that translates academic insights into tangible improvements in governance, training, and service delivery across hospitality settings.
Jacqueline Korir , School of Tourism, Hospitality & Events Management, Department of Hotel and Hospitality Management, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900, Kesses, Eldoret, Kenya
School of Tourism, Hospitality & Events Management, Department of Hotel and
Hospitality Management, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900, Kesses, Eldoret, Kenya
John Joseph Wamwara , Department of Public & Private Law, School of Law, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900, Kesses, Eldoret, Kenya
Department of Public & Private Law, School of Law, Moi University, P.O. Box 3900, Kesses, Eldoret, Kenya