Influence of management practices on sustainability of youth income generating projects in Kangema district, Muranga County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of management practices on sustainability of the youth income generating projects in Kangema District. An in-depth review of the related literature focusing on training, M&E, Leadership and financial management aspects and how they relate to sustainability of the youth projects was reviewed as captured in the conceptual framework. The study employed descriptive survey design. Questionnaires were served to 13 groups which were selected for this study through stratified sampling. The chairperson and one member of each group were included in the sample.

Two groups were involved in focused group discussion. One officer from the District youth office was interviewed. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically to address the research questions. The results were presented in form of tables and percentages. The study contend that sound financial management, appropriate training, good leadership and effective monitoring and evaluation influence the sustainability of the youth income generating projects.

The findings revealed that, majority of the chairpersons and the members felt that training and regular in-service training, constant monitoring and evaluation and proper financial management were important in ensuring sustainability of the youth projects in Kangema District it was not offered to the youths. The level of education of the leaders and the members was also working against the group performance and sustainability. The study recommends that, the youths should be provided with comprehensive, quality and convenient training on project planning, implementation and post-implementation of income generating projects.

In addition, deliberate efforts should be made to involve professional or experts in management of youth projects particularly during planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation phases. The study suggests that further research be done to cover other districts in the country. In addition, there is need to research on the effect of globalization and emerging technology on the sustainability of youth income generating projects because it may be a challenge as competition continues to increase. Also, study to be carried out on the influence of market liberalization on the sustainability of youth income generating projects in Kenya.