The role of medium and small enterprises towards the empowerment of women: a case study of entrepreneurs in Uhuru Market in Makadara District of Nairobi Provinve

Abstract

The development of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector has been hailed as critical in the promotion of sustainable development of national economies. In-Kenya; the Session paper No.2 of 1996 on Industrial Transformation to the year 2020 'recognized that small business enterprises are a prime mover-of economic development especially through their generation of employment The SME sector is therefore important to Kenya's search for both employment generation strategy, and a small enterprise strategy to supplement the dominance of the large firms in the economy. Small Scale Enterprises are important for raising the economic efficiency of a country. They are breeding grounds for entrepreneurship, innovations and inventions hence a reservoir for employment Sustainable jobs create income which in turn reduces the level of poverty. In Kenya, the SME's have not grown to any notable impact often citing lack of finance. The objective of the study was to determine the role of Medium and Small Enterprises towards the empowerment of women. The study used stratified random sampling strategy 100 respondents out of expected 900 were interviewed. The Uhuru market's women entrepreneurs were divided into sweater, clothes and bags makers using stratified random sampling. The respondents from each selected strata were chosen at random after the stratification. Data was gathered using questionnaires, interviews and observations. The data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). It was then presented in tables, graphs, and pie chart and cross tabulations. Based on the findings, conclusions were drawn and recommendations made on the way forward in the quest to empower women entrepreneurs in Kenya. The research results revealed the role of SME's in the empowerment of women entrepreneurs in Kenya.