Abstract:
About 82 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s people still live in rural areas, earning their
living primarily in farming. Relative to other world regions, the informal labor market
and the number of informal enterprises is the largest and have been most prevalent. In
Kenya, Jua kali industry is part of small enterprises that provide employment and
serves as a pivot for economic growth and development of an industrial base in
Kenya. Despite this critical role, the industry is faced with many challenges that
inhibit the realization of its full potential, the key challenge being lack of access to
diffusing technology to enhance their productivity. Large scale farmers of the
products such as maize have suffered losses which could have been avoided. Failure
to use tools of technology contributes to unavailability, affordability and lack of
knowledge among farmers on their use in maize processing. The main purpose of the
study was to find out the determinants of Jua kali artisans production on innovation of
tools for maize processing in Trans-Nzoia County. The study was guided by the
following specific objective; find out how skills and competences influence
innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize processing, establish how training and outreach
influence innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize processing, analyze how access to
financial resources influence innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize processing and
examine how policy and regulations influence innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize
processing in Trans Nzoia County. The study was guided by the Resource Based
View Theory. This study adopted a survey research design.The target population
consisted of 400 Jua kali artisans and 457 large scale farmers. The total target
population was 875 respondents. The study employed stratified sampling and simple
random sampling to pick a sample of 196 artisans and 210 farmers as respondents to
the study. The total sample size was 406 respondents.The study employed the use of
questionnaires to collect the data for the study. Data analysis was done through
descriptive and inferential statistics. The study results indicated that there was a
significant relationship between skills and competences and innovation of Jua Kali
tools for maize processing in Trans Nzoia County (β = 0.192, p = 0.002), a significant
relationship between training and outreach and innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize
processing in Trans Nzoia County (β = 0.143, p = 0.000), no significant relationship
between access to financial resources and innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize
processing in Trans Nzoia County (β = 0.063, p = 0.118) and a significant relationship
between policy and regulations and innovation of Jua Kali tools for maize processing
in Trans Nzoia County (β = 0.321, p = 0.000). The study concluded that, on objective
one, how skills and competences influence innovation, development of skills and
competencies requires some form of training. On training and outreach, the study
concluded that farmers teach each other on how to use tools and technologies in maize
farming. In terms of accessing financial resources, the study concluded that the county
has a kitty for us to help Jua Kali artisans operate and then return funds issued and in
relation to policy and regulations to the industry, the final objective, the study
concluded that there are high taxes on their products on their products. The study
made the following research recommendations; County governments and national
governments should continue providing TVETs, bursaries and other forms of support
to technical institutions in counties to ensure that the TVETs are able to enroll, train
and graduate as many youths with special skills and with the required competency
levels.