Abstract:
This study argues that strengthening employee engagement is essential for reducing
absenteeism among immigration officers at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where
persistent absenteeism driven by weak leadership support, inadequate communication,
limited recognition, and resource constraints has undermined operational efficiency
and border-security performance. Guided by Social Exchange Theory and the Job
Demands–Resources Model, the study qualitatively examined how engagement
factors, engagement strategies, and engagement initiatives influence officers’
attendance through semi-structured interviews with immigration officers and
documentary review. The findings revealed that supportive supervision, effective
communication, recognition, adequate work resources, fair workload distribution, and
ongoing training significantly enhanced engagement and reduced absenteeism by
improving morale, strengthening organizational commitment, and reducing stress and
burnout. The study concludes that absenteeism at KIA is less a disciplinary problem
and more a relational and structural issue rooted in engagement gaps that can be
minimized through deliberate managerial interventions. It recommends
institutionalizing continuous communication mechanisms, expanding training and
career-development programs, strengthening recognition systems, and improving
welfare and psychosocial support services to sustain engagement and ensure consistent
attendance among immigration officers
