Effects of uwezo fund on economic empowerment of youth and women in kibwezi west constituency, Makueni county, Kenya

Abstract

In most countries, Government-subsidized funding to vulnerable members of the community is increasingly becoming popular means in addressing the several challenges in the community. One such funding in Kenya is the provision of Uwezo fund with a hope that that the beneficiaries will be economically empowered and spur development. This study aimed at establishing the effects of Uwezo fund on economic empowerment of youth and women of Kibwezi West constituency, Makueni County. Three specific objectives guided the study; the influence of Loan Access on empowerment of Uwezo fund beneficiaries, the influence of Loan Conditions on the empowerment of loan beneficiaries and the influence of Group Dynamics on empowerment of the youth and women loan beneficiaries. Anchored on Empowerment theory that encompasses both processes and outcomes. Relevant processes include activities, structures, and actions that are empowering to someone or some group by enabling them to develop skills and obtain resources to solve problems affecting them and thus be economically empowered. The study adopted the descriptive research design. Data was obtained from 341 youth and women groups that benefited from Uwezo fund in Kibwezi West constituency in 2014-2019 period. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) aided in the data analysis in which the Chi-square and Logistic Regression were the statistical analysis tools used. Based on the multiple Linear logistic regression results, important findings were noted; it was established that Loan Access has positive influence on the empowerment of youths and women beneficiaries in Kibwezi West Constituency (β ACCESS =0.26, AOR=1.30, p<.001, CI; 1.02 1.89). also, the study found that Loan Access has positive influence on the empowerment of youths and women beneficiaries in Kibwezi Constituency ( β conditions =0.45,AOR=1.57,P<.001,CI; 1.22 2.08) However, The result shows that Group Dynamics has no significant influence on empowerment adjusting for Loan Access and Loan Conditions, ( . Sustainable strategies that enhance Loan Access at favorable conditions is important for empowering the region’s citizens so that they are more self-reliant and able to play a significant role in development of their respective communities. Therefore, the Uwezo model should be supported by all stakeholders and refined as a transformative tool of the community. Further areas of research were also proposed.