| dc.description.abstract | Youth empowerment programmes are implemented globally and by various agencies to help
build the capacity of the youth so as to improve their well being.Young people the world over
are calling for meaningful chances to participate meaningfully in civic, economic, social and
political fields. The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP's) youth strategy
identifies development challenges and issues facing youth today and more 'importantly offers
forward looking recommendation for strategic entry points. This includes engagement of a
broad range of partners in addressing youth empowerment issues around the world. Lack of
clear policies and programmes for youth agenda also persists in Africa. In Kenya, for
example, the National Youth Policy (2002) provides broad based strategies that can be used
to give the youth meaningful opportunities to enable them reach their maximum potential.
However, in the context of the devolved governance structures, there are many problems for
youth to engage in meaningful participation in governance at county and local levels.
Therefore, it is worth evaluating the socio-cultural factors affecting youth empowerment in
North Gem ward as it is one of the wards with many non-governmental organizations in the
study area and government agencies are also situated there yet there is minimal change in the
lives of majority of youths because it is not known what factors leads to such scenario in
North Gem. Therefore, understanding the social context under which these factors occur will
be of value in providing a better understanding hence providing solutions to youths in North
Gem ward. This study specifically, sought to: establish the effects of income on youth
empowerment in NOIih Gem Ward; determine the effects of gender on youth empowerment
in North Gem Ward; and find out the effects of youth perceptions on youth empowerment in
North Gem Ward, Siaya County. The study was guided by social constructionist theory
propounded by Bem and Coltrane (1985). The study adopted cross-sectional descriptive
research design. The study population comprised all members of 12 youth groups and
individuals that have benefited from Government and Non-Governmental Organizations in
the Ward. Simple random sampling was used to select 202 respondents from the study
population of 407 using a formula by Israel (1992). Purposive sampling was used to selectthe
key informants and focus groups. Quantitative data was collected using semi-structured
questionnaires and were analyzed using descriptive statistics by the aid of Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The quantitative data were presented in frequencies,
percentages and tables. Qualitative data was analyzed through content and narrative analysis
to identify emerging themes and concepts and presented using illustrations and verbatim
quotations. The study found out that income, gender and attitude of the youth influenced the
participation of the youth in youth empowerment initiatives. It furthermore revealed that
majority of the young people were unable to access youth loans because they lacked
collaterals to secure youth funds and also the youth unable to repay the loans awarded to
them. The study therefore, recommends that the government should ensure that Youth
Empowerment Programmes are established in the area and youths be able to access the Youth
Enterprise Funds without or with minimal collateral for the loans and grants. Moreover, grass
root youth empowerment programmes should target youth groups and the focus should be on
elimination of the socio-cultural obstacles that ,affect youth empowerment. | en_US |
