Assessing the Effects of Community Based Organizations’ Activities on Poverty Alleviation in Mwatate Division, Kenya

Poverty is a global, national and community issue. Mwatate Division in Taita Taveta County, Kenya is one such area that has been faced with persistent poverty. This is despite the existence of 600 Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in the area. This prompted this study of assessing the effect of the CBO’s activities on poverty alleviation in the area. The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of the CBO’s activities on poverty alleviation.  It utilized the empowerment theory. According to this theory, poverty alleviation entails empowering the impoverished. The study, a descriptive survey, employed both descriptive and quantitative statistical methods. The population of the CBOs was 600 whilst the target population was 206, out of which a sample size of 100 was studied.Both primary and secondary data formed part of the study. The primary data was collected using structured and unstructured interviews which were conducted on the leaders of the sampled CBO’s. A simple questionnaire was executed through face-to-face interviews with the respondents in order to gather data. The secondary source was both printed and electronic; was consulted through extensive desktop research.  Other sources were Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Gender and Social Development, National Council for CBO’s, various research agencies and existing records of poverty in the area. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The major findings indicated that the CBOs’ activities did not impact on the poverty status in the area. It was recommended that the CBOs needed empowerment so as to be effective. Keywords: Community Based Organizations, poverty, poverty alleviation, empowerment, Community Based Organizations’ activities, Mwatate Division. DOI: 10.7176/JPID/53-05 Publication date:March 31st 2020