The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of scientific personnel selection on the performance of employees at Kenya Ports Authority. The study specifically sought to determine the effect of the three components of scientific personnel selection namely: Cognitive ability, Personnel dimensions and psychometric ability on the performance of employees at Kenya Ports Authority.The study was carried out at Kenya Ports Authority where 144 senior managers represented the units of analysis for this study. Quantitative research design was adopted for this study. Specifically a descriptive survey aimed at a targeted population from a representative sample. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data relevant for the study. The questionnaire used Likert scale to collect the quantitative data. The sampling technique used was stratified where the population was subdivided into sub groups. A pilot study was carried out on 26 respondents. A range of methods were employed to summarize the data including descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate analysis. Data was analyzed using tables and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis. A statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data..The results of the study revealed that the correlation between cognitive, personality dimensions, psychomotor ability and employee performance was highly significant at (p-value = 0.000). The regression results indicated that the scientific personnel selection practices explained 17% variation in the employee performance. The study recommends that KPA should adhere to scientific personnel selection practices when recruiting and filling up vacant positions.
Keywords: Cognitive Ability, Employee Performance, Psychomotor Ability And Personality Ability, Scientific Personnel Selection
