Impact of a disability-targeted micro-entrepreneurship programme in Kenya: Study protocol for a randomised control trial of the InBusiness programme

Abstract

Background There is a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of livelihood interventions amongst people with disabilities. In many countries, self-employment or micro-entrepreneurship is a dominant source of livelihoods for people with disabilities and their caregivers. However, this group may face heightened barriers to successful microentrepeurship, including discrimination, exclusion from training or inaccessible transport, infrastructure and communication systems. The InBusiness programme is a livelihoods programme targeted to microentrepeneurs with disabilities or their caregivers delivered by a consortium of non-governmental organisations. The programme focuses on improving the skills, practices and opportunities of microentrepreneurs, while linking them with procurement opportunities with private and public institutions. This protocol describes a randomised control trial of the InBusiness programme in eight counties of Kenya. Methods The randomised control trial will involve 495 microentrepeneurs who have been verified as eligible for InBusiness by programme implementers. Individuals will be randomised within counties, either being invited to enrol in InBusiness in March 2023 or allocated to a control group. Participants in the control arm will receive information about compliance with business-related laws and available social protection programmes. The trial will assess the impact of InBusiness on household consumption and individual economic empowerment (primary outcomes) as well as food security, well-being, social attitudes, unmet need for disability-related services and microenterprise profits (secondary outcomes). Baseline was conducted in March 2023 and follow-up will be 24 months from baseline (12 months from completion of the programme). Analysis will be through intention-to-treat. A process evaluation will explore fidelity, mechanisms of impact and the role of context and complementary qualitative research with participants will be used to triangulate findings across the trial. Discussion This study will provide evidence on the impact of a large-scale disability-targeted livelihood programme on household and individual financial security and well-being. Currently, there is a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of livelihood programmes amongst people with disabilities, and so this trial can help inform the design and delivery of InBusiness as well as other livelihood programmes targeted to people with disabilities. Trial Registration This study was registered with the International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry (ISRCTN13693137) on April 24th, 2023.