The Influence of Entrepreneur’s Motivation on Growth of Micro and Small Enterprises in Thika Town, Kenya
Samson Paul Nyang’au, Prof Elegwa Mukulu, Dr Joseph Mung’atu

Abstract
This study sought to establish the relationship between entrepreneur’s motivation and growth of micro and small enterprises in the textile industry, in Thika town. The study adopted a survey research design to collect data. The study covered a sample of 226 drawn from a population of 526 micro and small enterprises of Thika Municipal Council who make thread to cloth. The sample was selected through simple random sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive (mean, percentages and frequencies) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression). The study achieved a response rate of 61.95%. Majority of the respondents (63%) indicated that the level of entrepreneurs’ motivation in the study area was high. The study revealed that the level of growth of enterprises was high as reported by 57% of the respondents. The study established a positive correlation between motivation and growth of small and micro enterprises with a correlation coefficient of 0.350. The p-value was (0.000) less than the alpha of 0.01 hence establishing a high significant relationship between variables. The study concludes that there has been a remarkable growth in small and micro enterprise in Thika town. The enterprises reported an increase in sales, number of employees as well as their capital. In order to sustain the growth, owners of the enterprises should develop a sustainable programme of motivating the employees for their hard work.

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