Abstract
All over the world there has been an increased interest in entrepreneurship education and the society in general. Kenya was among the first countries in Africa to introduce aspects of entrepreneurship education in its education and training systems. Entrepreneurship and business creation are a growing alternative for young people in different economies whose age group often faces a labor market with double digit unemployment rates. This study seeks to investigate and report on the factors affecting youth entrepreneurship development with specific reference to entrepreneurship education in Kibera, a district of Kenya. Two objectives are identified, namely (i) to determine the government’s provision and access to the entrepreneurship education and training among the Kenyan youth, and (ii) to determine whether there is a relationship between the level of education, training and development of youth entrepreneurship. A sample of three hundred entrepreneurs (aged 18-35) within the Kibera district in Kenya is drawn to participate in this study. Structured survey questionnaires are used to collect primary data from business owners in the Kibera district. Findings revealed a strong positive correlation between the provision of entrepreneurship education and development of youth entrepreneurship and the level of education has a very weak positive correlation to youth entrepreneurship development. This study concludes with recommendations on how youth entrepreneurship can be improved in Kibera and the rest of Kenya. A total of 300 questionnaires were administered via e-mails with a total response rate of 83.3% (250) returned for analysis
Highlights
Since independence, the role of youth in Kenya has been largely peripheral leading to their current marginalization manifested in the form of unemployment, crime, drug abuse and passive involvement in constructive nation building (Rori, Bunei & Mwenzwa, 2011)
The results of this study confirm that provision of entrepreneurship education has a strong positive relationship with development of youth entrepreneurship. This indicates that the Kenyan government is supporting youth entrepreneurship in Kibera but their efforts, to a certain degree, appear to be less successful which can be attributed to either unwillingness of the youths to take up the opportunities or other factors not considered in this study such as poor communication from government agencies to the youths, high cost of higher learning institutions or long bureaucracies in terms accessing services and registration of the business enterprises
This study investigated factors that affect youth entrepreneurship development in Kibera district in Kenya with specific reference to entrepreneurship education
Summary
The role of youth in Kenya has been largely peripheral leading to their current marginalization manifested in the form of unemployment, crime, drug abuse and passive involvement in constructive nation building (Rori, Bunei & Mwenzwa, 2011). Youth unemployment was estimated to be 12.6% in 2013 and projected to increase to 12.7% in 2014 (Global employment Trend for Youth, 2013). In developed and Sub-Saharan African countries, youth unemployment was, respectively, 18.1 and 11.8%, on average during 2012 (Global employment Trend for Youth, 2013). South Africa’s youth unemployment rate was estimated to be at 31.4% in 2013 (Statistics South Africa, 2014) which evidence the huge challenges that African countries face as far as young people are concerned.
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