Influence of Management Practices on the Implementation of Youth Enterprise Fund Programme in Kenya: Case of Youth Enterprise Development Fund in Kitui County, Kenya.

Abstract

There has been an acute increase in the graduate numbers from learning institutions, posing a challenge on the government to be innovative in achieving its mandate of creating job opportunities for its youth. However, despite these creative approaches by the government, the success rates of the so started projects are reportedly low. This research project has investigated the Management Practices Influence on the Implementation of Enterprise Fund Program of youths in Kenya using a case study enterprise development fund of the youth in Kitui County. The main objectives of the study included: to establish the business plan influences on the successful implementation of the program of Youth Enterprise Development Fund in the County of Kitui; to assess training influence on the Youth Enterprise Development Fund program in Kitui County; to assess the influence of ICT use in the projects of the youth on implementation Youth Enterprise Development Fund program in Kitui County and to establish the influence of monitoring and evaluation on the successful implementation of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund program in the County of Kitui. The theories underpinning the study include the Modernization Theory by Bradshaw. A conceptual framework based on the two major variables was developed. The study adopted a descriptive survey with stratified random sampling. A sample of 88 youth from a target of 1000 youth groups who benefitted from Youth Enterprise Development Fund in the financial year 2018/2019 in Kitui County, 3 County Project coordinators were sampled. Data collection was through self-administered questionnaire and analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Multilinear regression analysis formula was used to determine the relationship strength amongst the dependent and independent variables. There was a significant positive relationship between business plan development and the implementation of Youth Enterprise Development Fund, p<0.025 from the study. Training on entrepreneurial skills had a highly significant and positive relationship with implementation of Enterprise Development Fund of the youths, p<0.05. There was found no significant relationship between use of ICT in youth projects and the implementation of Youth Enterprise Development Fund, p<0.29 but a positive correlation existed, p<0.045. Monitoring and evaluation was found important in the influence and the implementation of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, p<0.037 and it was significant in determining changes in it. It was concluded that the managerial practices mentioned is significant for the success of YEDF project. In that regard, more training, especially on use of ICT in accessing online financial services, is needed. The study recommended that business plan development, training on entrepreneurial skills, use of ICT in youth project and monitoring and evaluation need to be reinforced and intensified to improve the implementation of the Enterprise Development Funds for the Youth.