Abstract: The study examined the effect of psychological empowerment on employee performance in law courts in Kenya, with specific reference to Vihiga Law Courts. The study was grounded on Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. A case study research design was adopted. The target population comprised 50 employees drawn from judges, magistrates, court reporters, legal secretaries, and court clerks. Inferential statistics, including linear regression analysis, were used to analyze data with the aid of SPSS version 21. The findings revealed that psychological empowerment has a statistically significant positive effect on employee performance. The results indicated that increases in psychological empowerment led to improved employee performance in law courts. The study also established that empowerment dimensions such as autonomy, competence, meaning, and impact enhance employee motivation and efficiency. The study concludes that psychological empowerment is a key determinant of employee performance in judicial institutions. It recommends that court management strengthen empowerment practices through participatory decision-making, delegation of responsibilities, staff training, and improved working conditions to enhance service delivery.

Keywords: Psychological empowerment, employee performance, Vihiga Law Courts