Causes of Burnout and Its Impact on Job Psychological Motivation among Correctional Officers at Six Prisons in Nyanza Region of Kenya
Authors: Nabwire Christine Julie , Okoth George Samuel 
Published: December 2024

Burnout refers to feelings of work burden including psychological fatigue which frequently result from a gradual pile of daily stresses. It is a psychological word for the undesirable reaction towards prolonged job connected stress. Many research studies have shown that correctional officers around the world, including Kenya, experience significant levels of burnout. The reported research sought to examine how burnout affects the psychological motivation of correctional officers in their job. A significant amount of research has been conducted by scholars on burnout and psychological work motivation. However, only a few studies have investigated the link between burnout and psychological work motivation among these individuals in Kenya. The study was to examine the causes of burnout, among correctional officers working in six Medium Prisons within Nyanza Region of Kenya. This study employed a descriptive and correlational research design utilizing a survey method. The study incorporated both quantitative and qualitative approaches and was guided by the principles of Rational Emotive Behaviour Theory and Solution Focused Theory. The target population was 1,910 prison officers attached to six Medium prisons in Nyanza region of Kenya. The prison facilities included: Kisumu Medium Prison in County of Kisumu, Nyamira Prison in County of Nyamira, Migori Prison in County of Migori, Siaya Prison in County of Siaya, Kisii Main Prison in County of Kisii and Homa Bay Prison in County of Homa Bay. The researcher categorized correctional officers into various types of ranks, such as gazetted officers, inspectorate officers, non-commissioned officers, and constables. In this study, the research employed the Maslach Burnout Inventory- Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) as instruments for measurement. The researcher realized that within the medium prisons, officers who are deployed to work directly with the inmates are male officers whereas the female officers are deployed to work in the offices hence the sample population was totally men. It also came out that there was no big difference in the responses from different facilities and therefore the findings were handled generally. The study found out that the main cause of burnout in this region is chronic work conditions and job position reported by 80.4% and was followed by poor public image at 35.71% whereas 10.71% acknowledged other factors as the cause of burnout. The research suggests that it would be beneficial for prison management to employ trained counselors and establish effective systems for addressing burnout among correctional officers. It is also important to enhance the overall atmosphere within the organization by implementing measures such as acknowledging and rewarding employees, offering opportunities for advancement, and creating a reliable internal ombudsperson role to address any unjust administrative practices in the institution.