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Socio-economic impact of women enterprise fund in Kitui Central Sub County, Kitui County, Kenya

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Socio-economic impact of women enterprise fund in Kitui Central Sub County, Kitui County, Kenya Authors: Njeri, Nzuki Evaline Abstract: This study assessed the socio-economic impact of the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) in Miambani Ward, Kitui County, Kenya. WEF was introduced to expand women’s access to affordable credit and promote empowerment, yet its effectiveness at the community level has not been fully established. The study was guided by the following objectives; to describe the socio-demographic status of women who access the Women Enterprise Fund, to examine the effects of the fund on women socio-economic status and to identify the challenges women, face in accessing and utilization of Women Enterprise Fund. The study was justified by the need to generate localized evidence to guide policy and improve women’s access to finance in rural areas. A cross-sectional research design within a mixed- method approach was adopted. The target population comprised 152 women in 8 women groups, from which 64 were sampled using probability proportional to size. Data were collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Additional insights were obtained from a WEF officer, a local bank officer, and a spouse of a beneficiary. Findings indicated that WEF improved women’s ability to pay school fees, meet household needs, and initiate small businesses, enhancing welfare, confidence, and participation in decision-making. However, small loan amounts, strict repayment schedules, and group defaults limited outcomes. Education, age, and marital status strongly influenced access and utilization. The study concludes that WEF positively contributes to women’s socio-economic empowerment but faces structural and socio-cultural barriers. It recommends larger loans, flexible repayment terms, and enhanced training and monitoring. The study was limited to Miambani Ward, which may constrain generalizability, but it provides valuable insights into WEF’s role in similar rural contexts. Description: Master of Arts in Gender and Development Studies, 2025

Financial inclusion and growth of deposit-taking SACCOS in Eastern Region, Kenya

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Financial inclusion and growth of deposit-taking SACCOS in Eastern Region, Kenya Authors: Wambua, Miriam N Abstract: Deposit taking Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies have increasingly adopted financial inclusion practices, yet many continue to exhibit poor growth as evidenced by declining membership, assets, loan repayment rates, and operational efficiency. Recent data indicates significant drops in withdrawable deposits, net income, and overall financial performance, compounded by high default rates and non-remitted funds. These trends highlight persistent challenges in leveraging financial inclusion to drive growth. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of financial inclusion practices on the growth of deposit-taking SACCOs in the Eastern Region of Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to examine the influence of financial literacy, Loan accessibility, digital financial services and branch network on the growth of deposit taking SACCOs in the Eastern Region of Kenya. The study was anchored on the financial inclusion theory as the main theory supported by the financial intermediation theory, and agency theory. The study used an explanatory research design. The respondents were the heads of finance, marketing, operations, and information technology. A total number of 104 management respondents was used in the study. Primary data used was collected using structured questionnaire. Validity and reliability of the data collection instruments were determined before conducting data collection. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS. Financial literacy had statistically significant effect on the growth of deposit taking SACCOs (β=.266, P=0.009<0.05). Similarly, loan accessibility had statistically significant effect on the growth of deposit taking SACCOs (β=.216, P=0.007<0.05). Additionally, digital financial services had statistically significant effect on the growth of deposit taking SACCOs in the Eastern region of Kenya (β=0.165, P=0.012<0.05). Further, branch networks had significant effect on the growth of deposit taking SACCOs (β=0.247, P=0.001<0.05. It is recommended that SACCOs should regularly update and customize their financial literacy programs to address evolving financial trends and challenges. Also the management of the deposit- taking SACCOs should continue upholding and improving transparency in loan processing and maintain competitive interest rates. They are recommended to continue investing in modern, user-friendly, and secure digital platforms that cater to the diverse needs of the members. Additionally, SACCOs should expand their physical branch networks in order to expand their market reach. Description: Master of Business Administration, 2025

Socio-economic determinants of students dropout rate during COVID-19 pandemic times in public secondary schools in Lower Yatta-Sub County, Kitui County, Kenya.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Socio-economic determinants of students dropout rate during COVID-19 pandemic times in public secondary schools in Lower Yatta-Sub County, Kitui County, Kenya. Authors: Musamu, Joyce Abstract: To contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic schools in Kenya just as in many other countries worldwide, educational institutions had to close temporarily. This study sought to examine the socio-economic determinants of students' dropout rate during COVID-19 pandemic times in public secondary schools in Lower Yatta-Sub County, Kitui County, Kenya. The study examined the influence of COVID-19 protocols, household income, peer pressure and parental level of education on students' dropout rate over the period of COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted an ex post facto survey research design. The target population for the study constituted 28 principals and 247 teachers in public secondary schools in Lower Yatta Sub-county. Census was used to pick all the 25 principals as sample. A sample of 153 teachers was used in the study. Proportionate technique was used to determine the number of teachers to be included in the study in each school. Fish bowl sampling method was used to identify the specific teachers to be interviewed in each school. Both Qualitative as well as quantitative data were collected from the respondents’ using questionnaires. Piloting was done in three schools within the sub-county in order to ascertain the face validity of research instruments while content validity was done through expert judgement by university supervisors. A test re-test technique was used to assess the reliability of the research instruments. Pearson’s product moment correlation was employed to compute the correlation coefficient. Data was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and involved descriptive statistical procedures for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data where data was transcribed into themes and reported in narratives. The analyzed data was presented using frequency distribution Tables, tabulation Tables, percentages. The findings of the study will be significant to education sector and stakeholders; principals, teachers, parents and students in the overall awareness and response measures for unforeseen pandemics and calamities such as COVID-19. The results and findings of the research were; The Pearson’s Product Correlation Co-efficient for teachers and principals indicated a positive relationship with r (150) = 0.640, p<0.05 and r (25) = 0.624, p<0.05 respectively between COVID-19 protocols and students' dropout rate, there is a strong positive relationship r (25) = 0.678, p<0.05 between household income and student’s dropout rate and there is a strong positive relationship r (25) = 0.721, p<0.05 between parental level of education and student’s dropout rate. Description: Master of Education, 2025

Social context of ageing in Matinyani Ward, Kitui County, Kenya

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Social context of ageing in Matinyani Ward, Kitui County, Kenya Authors: Nzenge, Fridah K Abstract: The number of people over 60 years is on rise across the globe. As the aged population increases, so are the concerns that accompany old age care. Aging occurs within the context of family, community and society and these have been documented in the West, Asia, Africa and parts of Kenya. Empirical studies in Kenya and Kitui County indicate that socio-economic concerns, challenges and support mechanisms are key aspects of aging context. However, research and discourse has not explored the social context of aging in Matinyani Ward, but have looked at perceptions of aging and factors influencing life of the aged persons. Consequently, this study sought to investigate the socio-context of aging in the study area. The specific objectives of this study were to: assess the socio-economic concerns among the aged; identify the challenges faced by the aged population; and, to evaluate the social support mechanisms for the aging population. The research was guided by Cummings and Henry’s (1961) disengagement theory. The study adopted a concurrent mixed research design which lends itself to qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study population was 3,444 with a sample size of 189 comprising 105 women and 84 men, where 29 key informants were purposively sampled and 160 respondents were determined using Kothari (2004) formula. Quantitative data were analyzed with Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 to generate descriptive statistics in frequencies and percentages which were presented in tables and charts. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and presented in form of narratives and verbatim reports. Findings on the study indicated that gender, family, age, religion, education and income level social economic factors influenced the lives of the aged in rural areas. Challenges like dependency (93.8%), poor health (83%), abuse (81.3%), and neglect (50.6%) affected the lives of the aged. Further, the study noted that family and relatives were major source of support for the aged, at 62.5% of the respondents while the government, NGOs and churches contributed by 18.75%, 12.5% and 6.25% respectively. The study recommends setting up of an updated register for the aged persons. Secondly, proper social support policies should be set up to support the aged persons. Further studies need to be done on the life experiences of aged women living and taking care of their grandchildren. Description: Master of Sociology, 2025