Government Initiatives and the Empowerment of Young Women in Self-Help Groups in Kakamega County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t2620Abstract
Government enterprise funds and affirmative procurement programmes offer opportunities to strengthen young women’s livelihoods through self-help groups. Their contribution depends, however, on whether eligible women can access services and use the resulting resources. This study examined the influence of national and county government initiatives on young women’s empowerment in youth and women self-help groups in Kakamega County, Kenya. A descriptive design combined questionnaires administered to 470 young women aged 18–35 years with 22 focus group discussions and nine key informant interviews. Sampling covered 92 groups, 47 wards and all 12 sub-counties. Fieldwork was conducted in May 2019, following a pilot involving 12 young women. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, while qualitative data were organised thematically. Gender and Development, African feminist perspectives and Longwe’s Women’s Empowerment Framework guided interpretation. Among 305 tabulated government-opportunity responses, the Women Enterprise Fund accounted for 27.2%, Uwezo Fund for 22.3%, Youth Enterprise Development Fund for 18.4% and government procurement opportunities for 3.0%. Financial access was the most frequently reported positive group benefit, but 33.1% of 317 group-benefit responses indicated no benefit. Interviews identified support through training, registration, agricultural services and market facilitation, alongside barriers arising from preferences for established enterprises and married, settled women. Government initiatives provided useful resources but reached young women unevenly. Transparent eligibility decisions, coordinated outreach, practical procurement support and monitoring of individual benefits are recommended. The findings highlight the need to connect financial and organisational assistance with young women’s participation and control over resources.
Keywords: government initiatives; young women; self-help groups;empowerment;gender; Kakamega County
References
Aberman, N.-L., Birner, R., Odoyo, E. A. O., Oyunga, M. A., Okoba, B., & Okello, G. O. (2020). Gender-inclusive governance of “self-help” groups in rural Kenya (IFPRI Discussion Paper 01986). International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134214
Bandiera, O., Buehren, N., Burgess, R., Goldstein, M., Gulesci, S., Rasul, I., & Sulaiman, M. (2020). Women’s empowerment in action: Evidence from a randomized control trial in Africa. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 12(1), 210–259. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20170416
Brody, C., de Hoop, T., Vojtkova, M., Warnock, R., Dunbar, M., Murthy, P., & Dworkin, S. L. (2015). Economic self-help group programs for improving women’s empowerment: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 1–182. https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2015.19
Díaz-Martin, L., Gopalan, A., Guarnieri, E., & Jayachandran, S. (2023). Greater than the sum of the parts? Evidence on mechanisms operating in women’s groups. The World Bank Research Observer, 38(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkac001
Dosekun, S. (2021). African feminisms. In O. Yacob-Haliso & T. Falola (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of African women’s studies (pp. 47–63). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28099-4_58
Gugerty, M. K., Biscaye, P., & Anderson, C. L. (2019). Delivering development? Evidence on self-help groups as development intermediaries in South Asia and Africa. Development Policy Review, 37(1), 129–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12381
Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment. Development and Change, 30(3), 435–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7660.00125
Kumar, N., Raghunathan, K., Arrieta, A., Jilani, A., Chakrabarti, S., Menon, P., & Quisumbing, A. R. (2019). Social networks, mobility, and political participation: The potential for women’s self-help groups to improve access and use of public entitlement schemes in India. World Development, 114, 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.09.023
March, C., Smyth, I., & Mukhopadhyay, M. (1999). A guide to gender-analysis frameworks. Oxfam GB. https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/a-guide-to-gender-analysis-frameworks-115397/
Momsen, J. (2020). Gender and development (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Gender-and-Development/Momsen/p/book/9781138940628
National Treasury. (2025). About AGPO. Access to Government Procurement Opportunities. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://agpo.go.ke/pages/about-agpo
Republic of Kenya. (2010). Constitution of Kenya. Kenya Law. https://kenyalaw.org/kl/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/Constitution/Constitution_of_Kenya2010.pdf
Republic of Kenya. (2015). Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (No. 33 of 2015). Public Procurement Regulatory Authority. https://ppra.go.ke/ppda/
Rietveld, A. M., van der Burg, M., & Groot, J. C. J. (2020). Bridging youth and gender studies to analyse rural young women and men’s livelihood pathways in Central Uganda. Journal of Rural Studies, 75, 152–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.01.020
Uwezo Fund. (2025). Background. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.uwezo.go.ke/background
Women Enterprise Fund. (2025). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://wef.go.ke/faqs/
Youth Enterprise Development Fund. (2025). Youth Enterprise Development Fund. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.youthfund.go.ke/
