The Case of Youth in Kibra Constituency, Nairobi County
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE KENYAN YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN VOLUNTEERING: THE CASE OF YOUTH IN KIBRA CONSTITUENCY, NAIROBI COUNTY BY OCHIENG JACOB OCHOLA UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – AFRICA SUMMER 2020 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE KENYAN YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN FORMAL VOLUNTEERING: THE CASE OF YOUTH IN KIBRA CONSTITUENCY, NAIROBI COUNTY BY OCHIENG JACOB OCHOLA A Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of Science in Organizational Development (MOD) UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – AFRICA SUMMER 2020 STUDENT’S DECLARATION I, the undersigned, declare that this is my original work and has not been submitted to any other college, institution or university other than the United States International University – Africa for academic credit Signed: ______________________ Date: _____________________________ Ochieng Jacob Ochola (ID 624362) This project has been presented for examination with my approval as the appointed supervisor: Signed: ____________________________ Date: ___________________________ Dr. Eric Kibet (PhD) Signed: ____________________________ Date: ____________________________ Dean, Chandaria School of Business ii COPYRIGHT All rights reserved. No part of this research project report may be reproduced in any manner without the express permission of the author. Ochieng, Jacob Ochola © 2020 iii ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence Kenyan youth’s participation in volunteering. The specific objectives that guided this research were to identify the socio-cultural factors that influence the participation of Kenyan youth in volunteering, to explore the economic factors that influence the participation of Kenyan youth in volunteering and to identify the political factors that influence the participation of Kenyan youth in volunteering. The study adopted the use of a cross-sectional descriptive research design. The target population for this research study was 36,078 youth spread across the five wards (Makina, Kianda, Katwikira, Laini Saba, Lindi) that constitute Kibra Constituency. The age demographic of interest was 18 – 24 and a sample size of 151 youth was arrived at using the cluster sampling technique. The researcher clustered the population into five groups that reflected the five wards that comprised the constituency. Systematic sampling was applied in each cluster in order to select respondents in each group. The type of data that was used for this study was primary data and was collected using structured questionnaires. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics which included standard deviation, mean, percentages and frequency tables. Inferential statistical tools such as regression analysis, analysis of variance and Pearson’s correlation test were employed by the researcher. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and was presented using tables and figures. With the aid of Pearson’s correlation analysis, the study found that there was a moderate relationship, and positive linear correlation between socio-cultural factors and youth’s decision to get involved in volunteering. The study revealed that that young people are more attracted to volunteering activities organized by their church/mosque. This research found that religious organizations play a leading role in stimulating youth participation in volunteering. As pertains to economic factors, Pearson’s correlation analysis determined that there was a moderate relationship, and positive linear corelation between youth participation in volunteering and economic factors. The study revealed that young people look at iv volunteering as a stepping stone to employment. This research showed that career progression is a significant motivator in getting young people involved in volunteering. This study established that there was a weak, but positive correlation between political factors and youth participation in volunteering using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The study found that youth will actively volunteer their time in activities organized by their political party. This research revealed that political party affiliations are influential in swaying youth participation in volunteering. This research concluded that socio-cultural, economic and political factors do indeed have an impact on influencing youth to get involved in volunteering. It was noteworthy that political factors registered the highest impact on volunteering decisions among the youth in this study with socio-cultural and economic factors ranking second and third respectively. Strong political party persuasions and a robust commitment to party causes were found to be reasons that elevated political factors above the other two. Nevertheless, Socio-cultural and economic factors were still found to have a statistically significant impact on youth’s decision to volunteer and therefore volunteer involving organizations would do well to take heed to them as there exisits a demographic of youth for whom these two factors are seminal. The study recommended further investigation into the moderating factors that influence youth participation in volunteering with regard to socio-cultural, economic and political factors. Moreover, longitudinal research was further recommended in order to gauge the impact of these factors over an extended period of time. The youth that were represented in this study reside in low income communities and it is therefore recommended that similar studies be conducted among youth from a different socio-economic background. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am thankful to the Almighty God for the endurance and resilience He has given me to pursue this research project. I acknowledge my supervisor, Dr. Eric Kibet, for his availability and studious support in preparing this report. May God Bless you. vi DEDICATION I dedicate this research project report to my family and friends vii TABLE OF CONTENTS STUDENT’S DECLARATION .............................................................................................. ii COPYRIGHT ......................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................... vi DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER ONE ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background of the Study ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 5 1.3 General Objective ................................................................................................................ 6 1.4 Specific Objectives .............................................................................................................. 7 1.5 Significance of Study .......................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Scope of Study ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.7 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................. 8 1.8 Chapter summary ............................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................... 11 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 11 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Socio-Cultural Factors that Influence Youth Participation in Volunteering ..................... 11 viii 2.3 Economic Factors that Influence Youth Participation in Volunteering ............................ 16 2.4 Political Factors that Influence Youth Participation in Volunteering ............................... 21 2.5 Chapter Summary .............................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................... 26 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 26 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................