Entrepreneurial Mentorship and Demographic Characteristics within Small and Medium Enterprises in Eldoret, Kenya

Effective and efficient mentorship programs tend to raise entrepreneurial outcomes among entrepreneurs operating Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Entrepreneurial mentees benefits from the wisdom and skills of the mentors when skillfully passed raising the level of entrepreneurial outcomes. The objective of the study was to assess the role of entrepreneurial mentoring in considering the demographic profiles of owner/managers of Small and medium enterprises in Eldoret, Kenya. A sample of 363 SMEs was used representing a total population of 3927 enterprises that had been in operation for at least 3 years. Out of the 300 entrepreneurs who responded to the questionnaires, 48 had been mentored while 252 had not been mentored. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The study found that current entrepreneur’s age and age at business establishment were significantly associated with use of mentor services (all p< 0.05). The singles marital status were almost two times more likely to have used entrepreneurial mentor services compared to divorced, separated or widowed though not statistically significant. The study recommends that the Kenya government comes up with legislation that would support the introduction of mentorship services to entrepreneurs considering their demographic profiles.