A number of studies have provided evidence buoying intrinsic rewards as human resource interventions for enhancing performance at individual, functional, and organisational levels. While this evidence abounds mostly in the high-income economies, the direct and indirect pathways through which intrinsic rewards such as recognition practices generate employee’s performance lacked empirical and theoretical investigation in the low-income economies. Using survey data from 106 respondents pursuing MBA and PhD programmes at Kenyatta University, this study investigated the relationship between recognition practices, work engagement, and employees’ performance in Kenyan context. The hypotheses of this study were anchored on Social Exchange Theory, and both descriptive and explanatory research designs were employed. Data were obtained from the respondents through self-administered questionnaires and the study instruments were adapted items. The study’s instruments were subjected to Principal Component Analysis to determine the validity and reliability of the research instruments, and thereafter the direct hypothesised relationship was determined through linear regression method. The findings from the analysis revealed positive and significant effect of recognition practices on employee performance in Kenyan context. Furthermore, this study used PROCESS macro and found partial mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between recognition practices and employees’ performance. The study offers both theoretical and practical implications which revolve round the need to enhance positive attitudinal outcome (work engagement) that will occasion desired performance at various organisational levels via the design and implementation of employee recognition practices in Kenyan context.