Influence of Emotional Intelligence Competencies on Internal Service Quality among County Employees in Kenya

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of emotional intelligence competencies on internal service quality among county employees in Kenya. In particular the study sought to determine the influence of social awareness competencies on internal service quality. The study was grounded on three key theories, emotional intelligence theory, learning organization theory and quality management theory. This study adopted positivist philosophy and explanatory correlational design. The target population consisted of 9165 employees drawn from the 47 counties in Kenya. The sample size was determined using Yamane’s formula to obtain 383. Data was collected using structured questionnaire from which a response rate of 85% was achieved. Reliability was tested using a pilot study involving 40 county employees, with Cronbach’s Alpha values exceeding the 0.7 threshold for all constructs. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26, employing both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Moderation effects were tested through stepwise regression modeling. The findings indicated that social awareness competencies had a significant correlation (r = 0.418, p