Abstract:
The current study focused on factors influencing performance of self-help groups in Ugenya constituency, Siaya County. Specifically this study analyzed the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics, leadership and social networks of self-help groups and their performance. Understanding self-help groups in terms of performance factors is indeed significant at a time when communities are being urged to take charge of their development needs. Further, in tenns of policy, this study will inform the development of a national policy framework that helps regulate self-help groups’ sector, and establishment of financial and insurance institutions to handle financial and insurance needs of self-help groups respectively in Kenya. General Systems theory and Collective Action theory were used to explain the operating environment of these groups, and why people join them respectively. This was a cross-sectional survey study done in Ugenya constituency covering 27 self-help groups; with 243 respondents sampled through stratified random sampling. Data was collected by use of interview schdules, which were then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and then reported in percentages, tables, pie charts and graphs. The current study has established that gender, education, age of members and groups, member tumover, group size, size of groups’ executive committees, election cycle, number of terms served by executive committees, incidences of disputes, existence, nature and duration of networks were significantly related to performance of self-he]-p groups. However, religion and members’ sources of income were found not to bear significantly on groups’ performance. Consequently, this study concludes that groups’ socioeconomic characteristics and leadership dynamics were major determinants performance in self-help groups. The present study also concludes that successful performance in groups depended on the appropriateness, adequacy and duration of networks groups had established with their extemal environment. In terms of policy, this study recommends for the development of a national policy framework to regulate self-help groups’ sector, and establishment of financial and insurance institutions to handle financial and insurance needs of self-help groups respectively in the country. Given the low uptake of devolved funds by self-help groups surveyed, this study is of the view that further study be done to a ascertain factors leading to the low uptake.
