Influence of Network actors on Entrepreneurship Development among Uwezo Funded Youth Groups in Kitui County, Kenya

The Kenyan government, in line with the Medium-Term Plan (MTP) of Vision 2030, chose to support start-ups and growth of youth enterprises by providing an enabling environment and facilitating support programmes that develop the business sector. This study examines the influence of business network actors on entrepreneurship development among Uwezo funded youth groups in Kitui County, Kenya. The findings are useful to the government of Kenya, agencies involved in the management of youth funds as they can be guided on what to capture while reviewing or developing policies related to the role of business networking factors on entrepreneurship development. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 336 youth group leaders from the Uwezo Funded youth-owned SMEs in Kitui County. Stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting a sample size of 102 respondents. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected by use of semi-structured questionnaires; the questionnaires included structured and unstructured questions. The questionnaires were administered by use of a drop off and pick up later method while secondary data was obtained from Uwezo Fund reports and group financial statements. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the quantitative data. Further, quantitative data was analyzed by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed using textual analysis and the results were presented using narrations (in prose form). The study found out that, network actors influenced entrepreneurship development of Uwezo funded youth groups. From the findings, it was recommended that Uwezo fund management should consider organizing sensitization meetings for group leaders on how to identify and work with network actors. Further research should be undertaken to examine other contributors to entrepreneurship development and in other Kenya Counties as well