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This study examines whether Islamic banks in SSA exhibit convergence in operational efficiency or whether performance disparities persist over time. Specifically, it evaluates whether less efficient banks catch up with more efficient peers within the region’s emerging Islamic banking sector. The study adopts a two-stage empirical framework using panel data from 35 Islamic banks across SSA over the period 2010–2024. In the first stage, operational efficiency scores are estimated using a bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model following the Simar and Wilson two-stage approach. An input-oriented specification under Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) is employed to reflect cost minimization behaviour and heterogeneity in bank size. Bias correction is implemented using a bootstrap procedure to obtain consistent efficiency estimates. In the second stage, convergence dynamics are analysed using sigma (σ) and beta (β) convergence models, alongside conditional convergence regressions incorporating bank size, age, and market concentration. The results reveal significant β-convergence, with the baseline model yielding a coefficient of −0.267 (p < 0.01), while the conditional model confirms robust convergence (β = −0.2836, p < 0.01), indicating that banks with lower initial efficiency improve at a faster rate than more efficient institutions, consistent with catch-up dynamics. However, σ-convergence results show that efficiency dispersion declined between 2010 and 2019 but increased after 2020, indicating that convergence was time-varying rather than uniform. This suggests that while convergence forces exist, structural differences and external shocks continue to sustain efficiency gaps across banks. The findings highlight the need for stronger regulatory harmonization, improved financial infrastructure, and targeted capacity-building initiatives to accelerate efficiency convergence across Islamic banks in SSA.

This study investigates whether inefficiencies in Islamic banking in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are primarily driven by managerial limitations or by suboptimal scale of operations. While existing studies largely report aggregate efficiency scores, limited attention has been given to decomposing efficiency into its underlying components in emerging Islamic banking systems, particularly within the SSA context. The study employs a balanced panel of 35 fully fledged Islamic banks operating in SSA over the period 2010–2024. Operational efficiency is estimated using a bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model under an input-oriented Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) framework. To enhance statistical reliability, the Simar–Wilson bootstrap procedure with 2,000 replications is applied. Efficiency scores are decomposed into pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency to distinguish between managerial inefficiencies and structural scale constraints. The results indicate that overall efficiency levels remain low, with inefficiencies largely driven by scale factors rather than managerial performance. A significant proportion of banks operate under increasing returns to scale, suggesting suboptimal size linked to structural constraints such as limited market depth, fragmented regulatory environments, and underdeveloped financial infrastructure. Although pure technical efficiency shows moderate improvement over time, managerial gains are insufficient to offset these systemic limitations. The findings highlight the need for regulatory harmonization, market integration, and strategic expansion or consolidation to enable Islamic banks to achieve optimal scale and improve operational efficiency in SSA. This study provides one of the first comprehensive efficiency decomposition analyses of Islamic banks in SSA using bias-corrected DEA, offering new insights into the relative importance of structural versus managerial sources of inefficiency in emerging financial systems.

This study analyses the impact of external debt on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya for the period 2008-2022. Employing descriptive, correlational, and inferential research designs, the study reviewed data from the Central Bank of Kenya, the World Bank, KNBS, and IMF on a quarterly basis. By employing the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, ROE and external debt were further qualified to be stationary at first difference. The results highlighted by the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) analysis indicated a statistically significant negative relationship between external debt and financial performance; the coefficients (-0.8998) confirmed that for every unit of increase in external debt, there would be a decline in ROE by 0.8998 units. The study establishes that external debt has been detrimental to the financial health of Kenyan banks due to the economic pressure it brings to the sector. For this purpose, it suggests that the government should avoid borrowing from external sources, and it has advised the development of measures that encourage overseas investors to invest in the country's banking sector. The policy of attracting FDI can enhance capital availability and alleviate the financial load on banking institutions. Relaxing regulations that restrict foreign investors would pave the way for this and help increase the bank’s performance, thus enhancing long-term economic growth.

Dividend payout is one of financial options that Saccos consider as part of the key performance indicators for Saccos. Deposit taking Saccos in Kenya have faced numerous challenges namely, governance, managerial and operational such that the performance of a number of them continues to be sub optimal according to the report by SASRA. Therefore, this study sought to examine the influence of board characteristics on dividend policy of deposit taking Saccos in Kenya under guidance by agency cost theory. The study utelized causal design and descriptive survey design. The targeted population was 403 stakeholders sampling 201 through stratified simple random sampling. The sacco directors/chairpersons and the CFO/CEOs formed unit of analysis. Closed ended questionnaires were applied for primary data. A list of 20 Saccos in Starehe Sub County, Nairobi County were basis for pilot test to establish reliability and validity of research instruments. Cronbach Alpha was employed to ascertain reliability, whereas content and construct validity were utilized to attain validity. The data underwent analysis through the application of descriptive as well as inferential statistics. The investigation ensured that the assumptions of linear regression were satisfied before conducting numerous linear regressions. Tables were used to present data. The results indicated a positive significant association between board characteristics practices and dividend policy P:0.000<0.05 hence conclusive that deposit-taking Saccos in Kenya focused on board characteristics as envisaged. The study recommended that Sacco’s should diverse the board features to ensure they accommodate the dividend policy framework. 

Fee collection tactics are measures that school administrators do to achieve the school's objectives by putting together the sum thought appropriate for school fees charges, such as creating automatic fee payment plans and sending out reminders to parents. There are challenges associated with fee payment as parents are the main contributors, yet they are in different economic position. The government has consistently delayed funding their portion which is still below required standards. Therefore, this study was focused on school fee collection strategies and financial accountability of Public Secondary Schools in Khwisero Sub County. The study was guided by agency theory. The research design used in this study was a descriptive survey. The 25 public secondary schools in the Khwisero sub-county of Kenya represented the 50 stakeholders who were the focus of the study. The county schools auditor, who oversaw all of the schools in the research, was also a part of the census survey that included all 50 stakeholders. Data was gathered with the help of standardized questionnaires. Mean and standard deviation were used for descriptive statistics, while Pearson correlation and simple linear regression were used for inferential statistics. SPSS, a statistical program used in the social sciences, helped with this. Tables were used to present the data. The financial transparency of public secondary schools in Khwisero sub County, Kakamega County, was significantly influenced by the collection tactics with an R2 of 0.504. The research suggests that public secondary schools should incorporate school factors that have a significant impact on financial accountability into their main key elements that should be considered when handling school fund accounts and find ways in which fee collection can be enhanced to ensure there is adequate cashflow.

This paper aimed to deepen the sense-making of organisational transformation in the banking sector through operationalisation of leadership strategy as the set of policy actions and strategic pursuits. The qualitative data were collected from cumulative 96 annual corporate disclosures of the 12 banks listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange as of the year 2020 covering 2007 to 2020 and corresponding to specific systemic disruptive events. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Two research questions were answered. First, what leadership strategy set do bank executives deploy to achieve organisational transformation? Second, what mechanism explains how leadership strategy translate into organisational transformation? The study found that activation of leadership strategy as an input factor provided a mural for its advancement as a policy tool that can be evaluated in organisational transformation as a manifest output. The study identified a gap in the extant literature that organisational resilience paid limited attention to policy choices and actions deployed to orchestrate organisational transformation as a distinct feature.

Collapse of companies in Kenya has been on the rise in the recent past. Far reaching endeavors to resuscitate these liquidating and ailing firms have generally been attributed on their corporate financial management decisions.  Multinationals and KTDA managed tea firms in Kenya have been performing poorly in the recent past where audited financial statements and reports revealed a warning signal on its financial performance. Specific objectives of the study were to determine the effect of the accounts receivables period, accounts payables period, inventory conversion period, cash conversion cycle, financing policy, investing policy and moderating effect of ownership structure on financial performance. The study illustrated that accounts receivables collection period is negatively related to return on assets (? = -0.1299, p=0.0160),  accounts payables payment period is negatively related to return on assets (? = -0.0843, p = 0.0070), inventory conversion period is negatively related to return on assets (?= -0.0623, p=0.0180), cash conversion cycle is negatively related to return on assets (? = -0.1107, p = 0.0030), financing policy is positively related to return on assets (? = 0.1589, p = 0.0000), investing policy is positively related to return on assets (? = 0.0291, p = 0.0000).

This study sought to determine the contributions of satellite campuses on financial sustainability of public universities in Kenya. The specific objectives will be to examine how financial accountability and effective management contribute to financial sustainability of public universities in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The target population was 176 selected staff of public universities in Kenya of which all of them were used in the study. The study adopted both descriptive analysis and for inferential statistical analysis data was cleaned coded and correlation analyses done the findings were financial accountability was positively correlated and significant p< 0.0. For regression also financial accountability as well as resource allocation and effective management had a positive relationship with financial sustainability. R squared was 0.731 therefore financial accountability and resource allocation explained 73.1% of variance in financial sustainability. Moderation was established using hierarchical regression, when the interaction terms of the moderator were added the value of R squared changed from 73.1% to 79.4% thus effective management and leadership had moderating effects on the relationship between financial sustainability and contribution of satellite campuses.Thus universities should mobilize resources from development partners and  focus on recovering full economic costs and investing in its infrastructure including human, intellectual and physical adequately to maintain future productive capacity to deliver its strategic plan and serve its customers.

The theory of dynamic resource orchestration explains the differentiated response of homogeneous ecosystem organizations to systemic disruptive shocks. The Covid-19 precautionary measures in Kenya have exempted some essential service providers and government agencies, resulting in a differentiated Covid-19 impact across the national SMEs landscape. This article adopted an extractive thematic analysis technique to draw insights from in-depth interviews and discussions with owners and managers of 6 broad-range SMEs considered non-essential services providers excluded from the Covid-19 cessation of movement waiver. The article advanced insights on SMEs' resilience through dynamic resource orchestration capability. It sought to establish whether the possession and orchestration of dynamic resources capabilities differentiated highly resilient SMEs from non-resilient ones. The article identified business diversification, slack finance, intra-stakeholder collaboration, self-reinvention, positive psychology, technology leverage, and cost management as precursory resilience agents within Kenyan SMEs. Research gaps were identified, and recommendations for future research were proposed.

The collective investment schemes in Kenya have witnessed increased volatility in their earnings, resulting in irregular growth in the industry. This necessitates the need to understand the factors contributing to poor financial returns from collective investment schemes. Hence this study sought to investigate the effect of equity investments and bond investments on Kenyan CIS’s performance. The specific objectives were: To assess the effect of equity investments, bond investments on financial performance of collective investment schemes in Kenya. The study was anchored on: modern portfolio theory and the efficient market hypothesis. The positivism philosophy was applied, with the firms adopting an explanatory research design. The target population was 17 Collective Investment Schemes registered by the Capital Markets Authority and were operational in the period 2010 to 2018.  Secondary data was sought from the Capital Markets Authority Annual reports and from the respective websites of the CIS’. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analysis and panel regression analysis. Hypotheses were tested at a significance level of 0.05. Findings indicate that equity investment, bond investments have an insignificant effect on CIS’ return on assets. Further, equity investments had a positive and significant effect on liquidity whereas bond investments had an insignificant effect on liquidity. The study recommends that CISs actively revise their equity investments and bond investments to stimulate financial returns.

The upper Echelons Theory reiterates the importance of top management in an organization and recognizes that the mangers make decisions that grow the entity. Before the establishment of this theory, the premise was that larger firms which drive high amounts of income, are capable of running themselves without failure. Although Organizations that command large amounts of income are deemed to be successful the upper echelons theory holds that these entities cannot be successful without proper management and guidance by top management where the board of directors in this case is considered as top management organ for SACCOs. Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) have evolved over time from mobilizing savings and granting loans to become established entities that provide banking services to their customers. They require good governance to avoid the experience of financial distress. The current research was therefore aimed at establishing the influence of firm revenue on the relationship between board characteristics and financial distress of deposit taking SACCOs in Nairobi County. Large entities command more revenue as compared to small firms. Board Characteristics is of importance to this study because it influences Corporate Governance which according to previous research has shown that the practice helps revolutionize performance of various institutions. The study is guided by upper echelons theory which reiterates the importance of top management. Descriptive research design was adopted while Nairobi County was purposively chosen and a census was carried out on deposit taking SACCOs in the county. Secondary data was collected from SASRA using a data collection sheet and a panel data analysis performed using STATA software and findings were presented using tables. The study concluded that firm revenue does not mediate the relationship between board characteristics and financial distress of Deposit Taking SACCOs. Though firm revenue should be enhanced, governance should be improved since it remains a critical success factor in alleviation of financial distress.

Related party transactions are a key factor to the sustainability of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs). In view of this fact, loans to directors and staff are viewed as a factor which can greatly influence savings and credit cooperatives into either falling into financial distress or helping them to remain a float and become financially stable entities. The stakeholder theory holds that entities should be managed a manner that will satisfy every stakeholder. The stewardship theory reiterates that managers have the organisation at heart and can it to profitability as if it were their own. However approval of loans and other transactions to managers and staff, may not positively impact the entity. This study was designed to establish the effect of related party transactions on the relationship between board characteristics and financial distress of deposit taking SACCOs in Nairobi County. We applied Descriptive research design on Deposit taking SACCOs in Nairobi County which was identified purposively while a census was conceded for all deposit taking SACCOs in the county. We obtained secondary data from SASRA using a data collection sheet after which we performed panel data analysis by use of STATA software. Findings were presented using tables. The study concluded that related party transactions influenced the relationship between board characteristics and financial distress of Deposit Taking SACCOs in Nairobi County. Related party transactions can be an avenue of causing financial distress and should be kept as low as possible. The regulator should come up with a tool based on Altman’s Z score models to predict financial distress in SACCOs in order to offer timely advice to alleviate more distress and consequent bankruptcy which may lead to closure of SACCOs. Another research may be carried out to establish other factors causing financial distress and how to turn around the SACCOs already in distress.

This study sought to establish the influence of fraud risk management practices in regard to preventive, detective and corrective controls on the level of fraud occurrence on listed firms in Kenya. This is because limited research had been conducted in the context of listed firms in Kenya and limited attention paid on how corrective controls influences fraud occurrence. A causal research design was applied. Data was obtained from a sample of 275 senior managers by using structured questionnaires. The findings revealed that only preventive and corrective controls had a profound negative effect on the degree of fraud occurrence on listed companies in Kenya. Conversely, detective controls did not considerably reduce fraud occurrence on listed companies in Kenya. The key implication of the findings noted by this study is that the proper implication of the most effectual anti-fraud measures can only be realized when the management are committed to do so. Additionally, corrective controls must be seriously looked into as an effective strategy of curbing fraud since they indeed are instrumental in curbing fraud. Future studies should be extended to the public sector in regard to the government ministries and the distinctive partitions of the private sector such as the insurance, real estate, manufacturing, automobile sectors among others respectively. Moreover, future studies can explore how firm size in terms of asset size or employee size moderates the relationship between fraud risk management practices and the level of fraud occurrence.

The importance of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) cannot be underestimated. Despite their importance, they are faced with numerous challenges among them financial distress which threatens their very existence. The current research sought to establish the role of board characteristics in the financial distress suffered by Deposit Taking SACCOs in Nairobi County. The study is anchored inter alia on Agency Theory. Descriptive research design was adopted while Nairobi County was purposively chosen and a census was carried out on deposit taking SACCOs in the county. Secondary data was collected from SASRA using a data collection sheet and a panel data analysis performed using STATA software. The findings were presented using tables. The study concluded that there was a relationship between board characteristics and financial distress of Deposit Taking SACCOs where board composition, board education and board tenure have statistically significant and negative influence on financial distress. In conclusion SACCOs need to have lean boards, Board composition should also be improved by including more women on boards, there should be more inclusion of members with high and relevant education credentials, and SACCOs should have term limits for their members while an analysis too based on the Altman’s Z score models should be adopted for SACCOs. Another research may be carried out to establish other factors causing financial distress and how to turn around the SACCOs already in distress.

Short-term debt is regarded as an important source of financing for Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is because it can be easily accessed and useful during times of emergent working capital shortage. However, short-term debt is the least researched among the components of capital structure, which explains why its contribution to the financial performance of small and medium-sized businesses still lacks empirical validation especially in the Ugandan context. This paper sought to determine the effect of short-term debt on financial performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Uganda. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design to collect and analyse the data. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select SMEs while purposive sampling technique was used to select one key respondent from each of the sampled 453 SMEs in Uganda. Primary data was collected using survey questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analysis. The findings indicted that short-term debt had a negative and significant effect on financial performance of SMEs as measured by return on assets. The study provides empirical evidence to support the propositions in the extant literature that short-term debt significantly hampers financial performance of SMEs. The study recommends that SMEs should adopt low cost operation procedures to improve profitability. This would lead to accumulated profits that can be used for investment purposes as a means of driving growth among the SMEs without resorting to borrowing. This paper suggests that further research should be conducted to establish the justification for the negative and significant effect of short-term debt on financial performance using qualitative approaches.

Renewable energy investment has been underexploited in Africa and Kenya in specific due to financing constraints arising from investor’s negative perception of the regions high investment risk and low creditworthiness which retards the degree of private capital penetration. The purpose of the study was to assess the extent to which Credit enhancement influence performance of hydroelectric energy projects in Kenya. The study was underpinned on pragmatism paradigm which allows the use of mixed method approach and descriptive correlational survey research design. Structured questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from a sample size of 94 participants out of a target population of 94 subjects. Validity test was done on the instruments and a coefficient of 0.775 obtained using Content Validity Index while reliability involved pretesting of the instruments amongst the 10% of the participants and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.781 obtained. Analysis was done using both descriptive statistic of mean and standard deviation and inferential statistic of Correlation and Regression at a significance level of 0.05 with the aid of SPSS version 25 and thematic content analysis of qualitative data for triangulation. Simple linear regression and Pearson Correlation Coefficient models were used to determine the influence between independent and dependent variable and the result H0: Credit enhancement does not significantly influence performance of hydroelectric energy projects in Kenya was rejected since P=0.000<0.05.Therefore the study concluded that there is significant influence of credit enhancement on performance of hydroelectric energy projects in Kenya. It is recommended that Project management and policy makers should integrate appropriate credit enhancement instruments to improve performance of hydroelectric energy projects besides developing targeted policies for strengthening implementation of the credit enhancement instruments to boost investors and lenders confidence. Further research should be carried out on the determinants influencing effective utilization of credit enhancement in power projects in Kenya.

The study investigated the whether the default measures of liquidity and solvency are associated and whether default measures are related to firm profitability. A total of 41 firms were selected to be in the study sample out of 46 non-financial listed firms in the Nairobi Securities Exchange during years 2013 to 2017 and panel data regression analysis was employed. The findings revealed that liquidity and solvency are significantly and negatively associated while the default measures lacked a significant relationship with profitability in Kenyan listed companies. The findings implied that there is no need for firms to focus too much on the relationship between default and profitability including invest heavily in liquidity in order to meet short term obligations as nowadays it is possible for firms to either convert non-cash assets quickly or borrow on short notice from financial institutions in case of an urgent need to meet liquidity shortages. These findings are consistent with the shitability theory.

The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of exchange rate on the performance of the residential property market in Kenya. The study used secondary data that was accumulated using secondary data collection sheet from first quarter of 2005 to fourth quarter of 2018. The study conducted several test statistics and diagnostic tests in order to achieve the most optimal solution. Vector error correction model and auto-regressive distributed lag model were employed to test the hypothesis in the short run and long run respectively. The results found out that exchange rate had a negative effect on performance of residential properties in Kenya in both the short run and positive effect in long run. The study has narrowed down the research gap brought about by the conflicting emprical, theoretical and conceptual literature with regard to the effect of exchange rate on performance of residential property market in Kenya.
 Key Words: Exchange Rate, Performance, Residential Property

This study sought to evaluate the relationship between equity unit trust fund flows measured as purchases and sales and the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) stock market return. The study employed Vector Autoregressive model and tested for Granger causality using monthly data for the period starting January 2010 to December 2017. The granger causality results showed that equity fund sales contain information that can explain stock market return and stock market return contain information that can explain equity fund purchases thus unidirectional causality. Impulse response results showed that equity fund purchases have a predominantly positive relationship with NSE stock market return and NSE stock market return have a positive relationship with equity fund purchases. This implies that an increase in stock market return will lead equity fund managers to purchase more securities and as the equity fund purchases increase, the demand for those stocks will increase causing the stock prices to increase and consequently increase stock market return. In contrast, equity fund sales are predominantly negatively related with stock market return and stock market return is also negatively related to equity funds sales. As the stock market return increase, the equity fund managers will decrease their sales. As the sales increase, the supply for those stocks will increase causing a decrease in prices and consequently a decrease in stock market return. Equity fund sales explain the variation in stock market return more than equity fund purchases while stock market return is a determinant of equity fund purchases and equity fund sales.

Financial performance of a commercial banks driven by a number of capabilities drawn from either the internal or the external environment. The Kenyan Government and commercial banks in particular have invested in e-commerce solution. Despite these invetments over the years, the impact is yet to be felt. The empirical literure reveals that there is a link between commercial banks e-commerce custiomization capability and financial peroformance.The study empirically analyzed the effect of e- commerce customization capability on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. E-commerce customization capability measured using online registration,online recommendation and realtime support while financial performance was measured using Return on Assets (ROA). The study was anchored on the Resource-Based View Theory. The study used explanatory design. A census of 43 commercial banks was taken; data for performance was extracted from audited banks statements for financial year 2016/2017. Data for e-commerce customization capability was collected from commercial banks websites. Data for financial performance was extracted from audited financial ststements of commercial banks. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings indicated that e-commerce customization capability had a significant effect on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The study concluded that e-commerce customization capability significantly affected financial performance of commercial banks in Kneya. The study recommends that the management of commercial banks in Kenya should invest more in customization capability to improve their performance.