Effect of Access to Healthcare due to Rural Electrification on the Household Wellbeing among Proprietors of Micro and Small Enterprises in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya's Medium-Term Plan III (2018-2022) promises that the health sector will pay special attention to the ‘Big Four' initiatives with particular focus on the achievement of Universal Health Coverage by implementing programmeslike rural electrification that increase access to quality healthcare services. Kenya's electricity demand for rural electrification has been steadily rising in the recent past. Households in Kenya are willing and able to pay for improved energy services based on renewable energy resources at reasonable rates. It's against this background that this study sought to investigate the effect of access to healthcare due to rural electrification on household wellbeing among proprietors of micro and small enterprises in Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The target population for this study comprised172,554 proprietorsofmicro and small enterprises registered in Kenya by 2015. The study used multistage sampling involving systematic and simple random sampling procedures due to the large target population involved. Primary data from proprietors of rural micro and small enterprises in eight counties namely; Kakamega, Bungoma, Nakuru, Busia, Bomet, Siaya, Kericho and Kirinyaga forming a sample size of 418 was used. The data collection instrument was pilot tested on 5% of the sample size. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a moderate positive relationship between access to healthcare due to rural electrification and household wellbeing among proprietors of micro and small enterprises. Regression analysis results revealed that access to healthcare contribute significantly to household wellbeing. It was concluded that there was a statistical significant relationship between access to healthcare and household wellbeing among proprietors of micro and small enterprises. It is recommended that the Kenyan government should promote universal access to electricity in all health facilities to a higher level on the political agenda, supporting these commitments with strategic plans, clear policies and dedicated establishments.