Relationship between Entrepreneurial Competencies and Entrepreneurship Performance of Graduates with Physical Challenges in Kiambu County in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between Entrepreneurial Competencies and Entrepreneurship Performance of graduates with physical challenges in Kiambu County in Kenya. The research objective was to analyze the significance of Entrepreneurial Competencies in Entrepreneurship Performance. The competencies under focus were: Opportunity, Relationship, Conceptual, Organizing, Strategic and Commitment competencies. Their relationship with Entrepreneurial Performance was being moderated by Business External Environment which had Access to Finance and Location of Business as its constructs. Participants of the study were graduates of higher education and training with physical challenges owning and managing enterprises in Kiambu County in Kenya. The participants had undergone training at higher education and training institutions such as universities and tertiary level colleges. The institutions under focus were Public and Private Universities, Technical Training Institutes, Institutes of Technology and other privately owned commercial colleges. The physical challenges under focus were acquired or congenital mobility related impairments affecting senses, muscles and bones and categorized as neuromusculoskeletal. These impairments may or may not require the use of assistive devices to aid in movement. The problem being addressed was whether there exists any relationship between Entrepreneurial Competencies and Entrepreneurship Performance of graduates with physical challenges in Kiambu County in Kenya. Further the researcher wanted to test whether the competence approach could be used to establish why some enterprises performed well while others did not do as well. The researcher also wanted to assess the impact of entrepreneurship education on persons with disabilities. The study was longitudinal and utilized descriptive-survey method of research. It was largely quantitative in nature and was triangulated by some qualitative aspects. It addressed a population of 480 enterprises owned and run by graduates with physical challenges of higher education and training in various constituencies within Kiambu County in Kenya. Enterprises included in the study were selected through simple random sampling and purposeful sampling methods and a sample population of 172 respondents was picked. Pilot test was carried out on a sample of 17 persons with similar characteristics as those in the final study. A total of 123 fully filled questionnaires were obtained from the research participants and were used to carry out data analysis. To collect primary data, structured questionnaires were used which contained closed and open-ended questions. Secondary data was collected using relevant literature, records from the NCPWD office in Kiambu County. To access discriminant validity, correlations among indicators and constructs was deployed. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data was statistically analyzed (descriptive analysis F-tests and t- tests) through applying the SPSS Statistics 17.0 software. The researcher concluded that only Opportunity Competence and Strategic Competence were significant at (p=.006, .000) respectively which was less than 0.05. However, all competencies were found to have a significant positive linear relationship with Entrepreneurship Performance and this led to the rejection of all the six null hypotheses of the study thus, accepting the alternative. The moderating effect of Business External Environment was found to have partial moderating effect on the relationship between the six competency areas and Entrepreneurship Performance thus the seventh hypothesis was also rejected. The researcher suggested entrepreneurial and policy recommendations. Entrepreneurial recommendations that the researcher advanced to be addressed through training were: acquiring financial skills and capabilities, record keeping, goal setting, embracing diversity in products and services and being creative as well as innovative. Policy recommendations included: getting special loans tailor-made for persons with disabilities with lesser interest rates different from the existing market rates, government initiated Local Purchase Order fund to finance persons with disabilities who succeed in procuring government tenders, during procurement process requirements from persons with disabilities should be a registered company as opposed to being a member of a disability group. Further, accessibility of mainstream services including access to building, public transport and information should be endorsed by the concerned arm of government