Networking in Female Operated Small Scale Enterprises in Kenya

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the social and cultural factors that influence the growth and development of female-operated enterprises in Kenya, in general, and in Eldoret Municipality in particular. The study focussed on the extent to which networking affects the performance of women in small-scale enterprises in Eldoret Municipality. A survey of 175 female-operated enterprises in Huruma, Langas, and the Central Business District of Eldoret Municipality was carried out. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire. To enrich and enhance the information obtained, qualitative data from key informant interviews and observations was also collected. The findings suggest that there are many impediments to the success of women's participation in small business enterprises. Their performance SSEs in Eldoret is low because women do not have sufficient capital but shy away from partnerships which would assist them with the much-needed capital. A majority of them belong to groups and associations of a social nature and not of a professional or business nature. The latter could be instrumental in assisting them to learn how to manage their businesses. The women seem to be bound by a vicious circle of poverty out of which they are unlikely to break without intervention and a change of attitude towards businesses in which they are involved.