Leadership practices on performance of youth group projects in Nandi County, Kenya

Abstract

The Youth Enterprise Development Fund was introduced on 8th December, 2006 and later formed into a State Corporation on 11th of May, 2007 as a policy strategy aimed towards the achievement of youth employment, economic empowerment and local development in Kenya. The key issue in this study is that some Youth Groups’ projects are perceived to be performing well while others are performing poorly despite substantial funding and support from the Central government. The study intended to understand whether the trade-off in project performances between various youth groups in Kenya and Nandi County in particular is attributable to the quality of leadership practices used by the group leaders in the establishment, management and operation of youth group projects. The study analysed the leadership practices and management strategies used, established the nature and roles played by the group leaders including their impacts, it also examined the relationship between group leadership practices and their management strategies vis-á-vis the difference in project performance and subsequently challenges that the group leaders are facing while managing change. This study utilized perception as a parameter for measuring leadership guided by the Transformational leadership theory. Descriptive crosssectional survey research designs were utilized in the study. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were also used in this study. All the 239 registered groups were considered and 10% of them were sampled through simple random sampling to pick 24 youth group projects across Nandi County with 4 members being sampled out from each of the selected youth groups to make 96 respondents. The researcher administered 96 questionnaires, conducted 12 interviews and 2 Focused Group Discussions for quantitative and qualitative data respectively, secondary data was also utilized. The findings are presented in frequency distribution tables, mean, standard deviation and chi-square values followed by explanations of the study results per table. The study established that there is a strong impact of leadership practices and management strategies on youth group project performance. It is evident from this study that majority of youth group leaders in Kenya exercised situational leadership and a combination of task-oriented and team-based styles of leadership. Leadership skills, competencies and abilities influence performance. It was also concluded that other factors apart from leadership practices play a role in influencing group project performance. Consequently, the study recommends that the group leaders should readjust to adopt and adapt all workable, realistic and acceptable leadership practices and management strategies so as to improve on group members’ productivity and accordingly on project performance through participative decision making, group cohesion and clear vision and goal setting. Hence Transformative leadership is the lifeline that Nandi County youth groups’ leadership should espouse to enhance performance for a competitive advantage