| dc.description.abstract | Social-economic issues have barred rural women to access finance there by limiting their ability
to improve in financial empowerment. Such issues include collateral, financial information and
financial inclusion. Majority of rural women are illiterate and lack the voice to procure loans for
business development and growth. This is likely to affect their accessibility to finance for their
financial empowerment. However, the studies reviewed failed to comprehensively address
factors influencing access to finance by rural women from their empowerment as; collateral,
financial information and financial inclusion jointly. This is to say that there is a knowledge gap
that; collaterals, level of financial information and financial inclusions jointly affect access
finance by rural women. This motivated the need to conduct the present study to fill the
knowledge gap.This study used descriptive survey in soliciting information. The target
population was the 98 women in business in Sultan Hamud Town of Kajiado County.Since the
population was small and easily accessible, the study adopted a census design, where the entire
target population participated as respondents. The studycollected data from primary sources
using a structured questionnaire.The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and it was
represented in tables and figures. Thereafter the study estimated a model using multiple
regressions. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to assist in data analysis. The
study established that business women in Kenya were not accessible to financial services for
their financial empowerment and found out that requirements for collaterals, which are essential
to access financial services, are major hindrances to access finance for Kenyan businesswomen
for their empowerment, the study also concludes that access to financial information highly
influences access to financial services of Kenyan businesswomen, and there is low level of
women financial inclusions in Kenya, which is a major hindrance of business women from
accessing the financial services. The study concludes that; collaterals, access to financial
information, and women financial inclusion could significantly predict dependent variable;
accessibility to financial services. The study recommends that financial lending institutions
should simplify their ways of women accessing the financial facilities, by developing women
friendly lending environment to enable these entrepreneurs to access finance for their
empowerment. The study further recommends that non-governmental agencies, human rights
bodies, Kenyan governments and stakeholdersshould provide relevant training and education in
entrepreneurship, financial matters and on their rights for their empowerment to significantly
influence the business success of women entrepreneurs in the country and equipped to manage
business. | en_US |
