Determinants of Financial Literacy Levels among Employees of Kenya Ports Authority in Kenya

Abstract

Employees face and tackle financial decisions be it, savings, insurance or investment projects. Furthermore, financial instruments have become increasingly complex and individuals are presented with new and ever-more sophisticated financial products. Access to credit is easier than ever before and opportunities to borrow are plentiful. However, there is evidence that many employees are not well-equipped to make sound financial decisions. It is against this background that this study investigates determinants of financial literacy levels among employees of Kenya Ports Authority in Kenya.A sample of 500 employees was randomly selected to reflect the population of working class. Sampling was done using stratified multi-stage sampling to ensure that demographic and socio-economic considerations were represented in the population. A survey methodology was adopted with the design of self-administered questionnaires to capture the relevant information from the employees. Findings of the study suggest that the overall financial literacy level of the employees is low. Financial literacy levels gets affected by gender, age, education levels, other wealth factors and sources of information & financial advice, whereas it does not get affected by occupation status & type, and personal income. Recommendations made in this study will help employers and policy makers to devise appropriate strategies targeted at increasing the level of financial literacy amongst the population as well as provide sources of reliable financial advice.

Keywords: Employees, Financial decisions, Financial education, Financial illiteracy, Financial literacy.