Determinants of the Financial Performance of Savings and Credit Co-operatives in the Banking Sector in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to establish the determinants of financial performance of SACCOs in the banking sector in Kenya. In Kenya, fifty one percent of all registered SACCOs are non-operational; however, all SACCOs in the banking sector in Kenya are operational despite the many employment perks given to staff. The determinants studied were competition from commercial banks, internal politics, operation costs, saving culture and investment policies. This study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population of this study was SACCOs in the banking sector in Kenya. The sampling frame of this study was derived from the database of the Ministry of industrialization and enterprise Development which regulates and licenses SACCOs in Kenya. Stratified sampling and simple random sampling was used. A Likert scale questionnaire was used to gather primary information while a secondary data collection sheet was used for collecting secondary information regarding SACCO performance. Information was sorted, coded and input into the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 for production of graphs, tables, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results indicated that there was a positive relationship between financial performance and competition from commercial banks, internal politics, operating costs, saving culture and investment policy. The study concluded that all the variables under study are statistically significant in explaining the financial performance of SACCOs in the banking sector in Kenya. The study recommends that the SACCOs should; be proactive in order to have a competitive advantage, have effective strategic plans to manage operating costs and enhance investment through effective policies.