Impact of regulatory reforms on compliance with mandatory disclosures by savings and credit co-operatives in Kenya

Purpose - This paper aims to utilize institutional theory to examine the impact of the 2008-2010 regulatory reforms on compliance with mandatory disclosures by savings and credit co-operatives (SACCOs) in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach - Two-stage least squares panel regression approach is utilized to analyse data covering 1,272 firm-year observations for 212 SACCOs over a six-year period, 2008-2013. An analysis of the pre- and post-regulation impacts on compliance with mandatory disclosure requirements is also performed. Findings - The results, which are in support of the institutional theory, reveal that licensed SACCOs engage in higher compliance with mandatory disclosures, and this improves from the pre- to the post-regulation period. The results show that SACCOs under inquiry engage in lower compliance with mandatory disclosure requirements, especially in the post-regulation period. The findings also reveal a significant and positive association between SACCO size, co-operative governance and compliance with mandatory disclosure requirements. Research limitations/implications - The study focuses on transition-level SACCOs in a single country. An extension into other jurisdictions with nascent, transitional and mature SACCOs would provide greater insights into the impact of disclosure regulation. Further, the study uses a self-constructed disclosure checklist which is subject to coding errors and biases. Practical implications - The findings highlight the need for SACCO regulators and accounting professional body to devise incentives to improve the level of compliance with required disclosures. Originality/value - The study contributes to the dearth of evidence on the efficacy of the introduction of mandatory disclosure requirements in a developing country where compliance is problematic because of difficulties with enforcement.