ABSTRACT 

Organizational performance has been the concern of both academicians and practitioners during the last many decades as the ultimate outcome of utilization of tangible and intangible resources. In addition the performance of an organization largely depends on its ability to effectively and efficiently produce cost effective products/services of high quality guaranteeing a competitive advantage. For universities to remain successful and relevant, they are implementing Total Quality Management practices which are a common factor that shapes their strategies in an attempt to satisfy various stakeholders and improve performance. This study investigated TQM practices on performance of selected Private Universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was guided by four specific objectives: to establish the relationship between top management commitment and performance of Private universities, to find out how customer focus affects performance of Private universities; to determine the extent to which employee empowerment affects performance of Private universities; and to establish the role of continuous improvement on performance of Private universities. The study adopted the Resource-Based View, Human Capital, Stakeholders‟ and Deming Quality Improvement theories. The study used a descriptive study design and targeted 679 respondents (university management, heads of departments, academic and administrative staff) of two private universities. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the 20% sample from both academic and administrative staff. A five point likert scale questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. The data was analyzed with the help of SPSS and was presented into frequency distributions, charts, tables, means and percentages. Further, inferential analysis such as Chi-square test and Cross tabulation were performed to establish relationships among study variables. Results from the study revealed that there were no significance differences between total quality management practices in the two universities. The study also established that quality goals and policies have been clearly formulated and documented. It also revealed that the objectives of the university are linked to customer needs and expectations. The study recommends that the top management should allow employees at all levels in the university to fully participate in decision making especially on quality issues. It also recommends that all departmental heads should be encouraged to ensure that there is continual improvement of quality management processes as per the quality management policy.