ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES AND PERFORMANCE OF START UP ENTERPRISES IN URBAN TOWNSHIPS IN WEST POKOT COUNTY, KENYA
Allan Njuguna Njoroge - Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management), Kenyatta University, Kenya
Shadrack Bett - Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The number of individuals considering self-employment as a career option is on the rise due to the high levels of unemployment in Kenya presents many new entrepreneurs with a challenge of both growing and managing the business startups. That notwithstanding, not many business startups operate beyond their third birthday and therefore the purpose of this study is to help determine diverse challenges affecting performance of business start-ups affecting performance of business startups in urban townships in Kenya and in specific West Pokot County. The study sought to specifically determine the influence of skills and competence, technology, legislation and competition on the performance of business startups. The specific objectives to guide the study included, to establish how skills and competence of the entrepreneurs affect performance of business start-ups in West Pokot county, to find out the effect of legislations on performance related to business startups in West Pokot county, to determine the degree to which technology is a challenge to the performance of business startups in West Pokot county and to examine the relationship that exist between competition as well as performance of business start-ups in West Pokot county. The target population was drawn from business start-ups in three major townships in West Pokot County that is Kapenguria, Sigor and Kacheliba. The study adopted a census survey in the three townships and adopted a descriptive survey technique where questionnaires were utilized in the collection of primary data. The raw data obtained was then tabulated, coded and then processed by use of Statistical package for Social Science (SPSS). From the study it is evident that business environment had a significant and positive influence on the performance of the performance of small scale enterprises in West Pokot County, Kenya. Improved and endowment of relevant skills and competency of entrepreneurs, favour legislations by both national and county governments, use of modern technology and capacity building of entrepreneurs and regulated and healthy competition spurs the growth and performance of start-ups in West Pokot County.