| dc.description.abstract | Entrepreneurship is the engine of economic growth and development. Youth entrepreneurship
has a greater potential to aid the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 8, target 16
which aims at providing decent and productive work for youth. Provision of employment among
the youth will save them from social exclusion. This study was aimed at identifying those factors
influencing participation of youth entrepreneurs in enterprise development in Limuru Subcounty,
Kiambu County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were; to establish the extent to
which acquired entrepreneurial skills influence participation of youth entrepreneurs in enterprise
development; to determine the extent to which accessibility of Youth Enterprise Development
Fund influence participation of youth entrepreneurs in enterprise development; to establish how
desire for self employment influence participation of youth entrepreneurs in enterprise
development and to assess how the level of financial literacy influence youth entrepreneurs in
enterprise development in Limuru sub county, Kiambu County. The researcher hoped that the
recommendations would be of use to the Youth Ministry and other stakeholders at the Sub -
County level to enhance feasibility of youth entrepreneurs in development as a step towards
increasing economic opportunities for, and participation by Kenyan youth in nation building.
This study used descriptive survey research design. The study used a target population of 250
individual youth entrepreneurs with existing enterprises which have been running at least for one
year in Limuru Sub-county, Kiambu County. The target population included two officials from
the ministry of youth and one from a financial institution. Proportionate method was used to
decide on the sample size of 148. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire. A
pre-testing of the questionnaire was administered to a small sample of the youths (10% of
respondents). The study used both qualitative and quantitative data. All the quantitative data was
analyzed using SPSS, V.20.0. The findings were presented using tables and percentages,
tabulations, frequencies and means. On whether entrepreneurial skills hamper youth enterprises
growth, majority of the respondents agreed with the statement as shown with a mean of 3.5278
and standard deviation of 1.03633. The respondents further agreed that there was need to
upgrade entrepreneurial skills in enterprise development as shown with a mean of 3.6759 and
standard deviation of 1.16674. The study established that the respondents had learnt relevant
entrepreneurial skills on how to start and manage a business. The study also revealed that
information on the youth fund was not adequately disseminated. The study concluded that lack
of entrepreneurial skills hamper youth enterprise growth. The study also concluded that the
respondents had received sufficient financial literacy on enterprise development. The study
recommended that relevant skills should be taught since they are key in managing businesses.
The study recommended that there should be sufficient information on youth fund to enable them
gain access to them. | en_US |
