Browsing by Author "Hassan, Mohamed A."

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    Financial services accessibility, financial literacy, and investment in livestock farming among pastoralist households in Kenya
    (KCA University, 2025) Hassan, Mohamed A.
    This study examined the effect of financial services accessibility on livestock investment decisions among pastoralist households in Kenya. The specific objectives were to assess the effect of credit facilities, mobile banking adoption, financial literacy, and access to savings platforms on livestock investment decisions, and to evaluate whether cultural attitudes moderate these relationships. The study was guided by three theoretical frameworks. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to explain how attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms influence financial decision-making. The Financial Intermediation Theory provided a basis for understanding how financial institutions help mobilize resources and reduce transaction costs. The Technology Acceptance Model was applied to explain how perceived usefulness and ease of use affect the adoption of mobile banking services among pastoralist communities. The study adopted a descriptive and inferential research design. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 400 respondents from eight counties, and 303 valid responses were analyzed. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The regression model produced an R-squared value of 0.589, showing that 58.9 percent of the variation in livestock investment decisions was explained by the four financial predictors. Financial literacy had the strongest positive effect on investment in livestock farming (β = 0.692, p < 0.001). Mobile banking adoption (β = 0.583, p < 0.001), access to savings platforms (β = 0.468, p < 0.001), and credit availability (β = 0.169, p < 0.05) also showed statistically significant influence. Cultural attitudes, tested as a moderating variable, did not produce significant interaction effects, indicating that investment behavior is mainly influenced by financial access and capability rather than cultural beliefs. The study concludes that financial services, especially those that improve literacy, digital access, and savings options, play an important role in supporting livestock investment and improving household economic stability. It recommends that policymakers develop financial education programs suited to pastoralist communities, expand mobile banking infrastructure in remote areas, and create flexible credit products that consider informal income patterns and lack of collateral. Financial institutions should work with community-based groups to design savings mechanisms that are culturally appropriate, while development agencies should help link informal savings groups to formal financial systems. These findings provide evidence that targeted financial interventions can improve investment behavior and strengthen livelihoods among pastoralist households. Future research should consider using longitudinal designs and mixed methods to explore changes in financial behavior over time and to better understand the role of cultural factors in investment decisions.