| dc.description.abstract | This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of Youth Enterprise Development Fund
(YEDF) among the youth groups in Nyandarua South District. Nationally, the issue of
unemployment is one major concern of the Kenya Government. To address this challenge, the
government introduced the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2006. A seed capital of Ksh.
one billion known as YEDF came legally into operation on 8th December 2006 through Legal
Notice No. 167 (YEDF, 3 Years of the Youth Fund, 30th June 2010). It was to be loaned to
youth groups to initiate income generating activities. The income generating activities would
empower the youth economically into creating employment opportunities and sustaining the
market with products needed locally and abroad. However, the effectiveness of this fund was yet
to be assessed. This study adopted an ex post facto research design. The target population
included all the 1042 from 50 youth groups in the study area. A random sample of338 youth was
selected from the youth groups in the area. Data was collected through administration of a selfstructured
questionnaire to the selected respondents. The collected data was then processed and
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analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, p~rrentages and means) with the aid of Statistical
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Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) versiS·rf..,7;i.0 for windows. The study findings indicate that
the time taken to access loan and the amount received from YEDF varied from one group to the
other but within the legal limit set by YEDF. A,lthough the amount of loan awarded to the youth
group was inadequate, it was beneficial and they were capable of repaying and even
contemplated borrowing again. The youth gtoups were well prepar;d through entrepreneurship
training to adequately utilize and benefit from the fund. The youth groups were aware of the
available avenues of accessing and disbursing YEDF including microfinance institutions.
Physically challenged persons lacked information for access to youth groups benefiting from the
YEDF. The study recommends that there is need for the government to improve the time taken to
access the YEDF so as to enable faster access. There is need for the government to increase the
amount of loan awarded by the YEDF so as to improve the benefit accrued. There is need for the
government to facilitate and make the entrepreneurship training mandatory for the groups
benefiting from the fund. There is need to encourage the youth groups to embrace and include - .
persons with disabilities in their activities as well disseminating information to other youth with
disability within their locality. | en |
