EFFECTS OF AGENCY BANKING ON ACCESSIBILITY OF FINANCIAL SERVICES IN NAKURU TOWN, NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

There has been unprecedented competition in the financial sector particularly amongst commercial banks. This trend has persuaded banks to be more innovative in order to remain relevant in the sector. One of the key innovations is the introduction of agency banking in the industry. Since the inception of the same in 2010, it has not been clear the extent to which agency banking has influenced financial services accessibility. The study examined the implication of agency banking on financial services accessibility in Nakuru town. The study adopted descriptive research design. The target population constituted 137 bank agents. A sample of 51 respondents was selected using simple random sampling method. A structured questionnaire was employed in data collection. The reliability and validity of the research instrument were assessed accordingly. The primary data collected were analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version software and Statistical Analysis Software (SAS). Data analysis was in form of frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, Pearson’s correlation, and regression.