Social entrepreneurship and women’s economic and social empowerment in Kenya

Abstract

This study investigates how social entrepreneurship advances the economic and social empowerment of women in Kenya, focusing on Nairobi as a dynamic institutional and market setting. Using a qualitative, exploratory design, it draws on semi-structured interviews with thirty-nine women social entrepreneurs and document analysis, applying reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to link individual experiences with structural and cultural dynamics. The results of this investigation offer new insights into the lived realities of women social entrepreneurs. Findings reveal that women enact social entrepreneurship before naming it, transforming moral purpose and communal obligation into viable hybrid ventures. Empowerment unfolds through a sequenced social-capital arc: bonding ties (trust networks and chamas) enable entry and resilience; bridging ties (peer alliances, suppliers, anchor buyers) stabilise and scale operations; and linking ties (procurement and policy access) confer legitimacy and institutional voice. These pathways are reinforced by conversion bundles, fit-for-purpose finance, digital tools, market access, and mentorship, which translate resources into durable outcomes. Building on these pathways, the analysis shows that empowerment arises where enabling structures meet adaptive agency. Legal clarity, inclusive finance, and community trust expand women’s feasible action sets, while knowledge, leadership, adaptability, and moral motivation mediate these opportunities, yielding control over income, assets, and decisions, and strengthening community and policy influence. The study integrates Empowerment Theory, the Capability Approach, Social Capital Theory, and African feminist perspectives to reframe empowerment as cumulative, relational, and place-based. Building on this foundation, it recommends legal recognition for hybrid ventures, de-risked and sequenced finance, coalition-based learning infrastructures, and intersectionally inclusive capability building. In summary, women’s social entrepreneurship in Nairobi serves as both an economic force and a driver of structural change, advancing gender equity in Kenya’s evolving social economy.