MJSER

Working Capital Management and Financial Performance of SACCOs in Namungoona, Kampala

Namatovu Hellen1, Irumba Alex2


Abstract

This study examined the relationship between working capital management and the financial performance of savings and credit cooperative organisations (SACCOs) in Namungoona, a peri-urban trading and residential zone within Kampala City. Namungoona's SACCO landscape comprising seven registered SACCOs serving predominantly informal sector traders, market vendors, and boda-boda operators presented a particularly instructive context for examining working capital management given the high income volatility and irregular cash flow patterns of the member base, which created acute short-term liquidity management challenges for participating institutions. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 164 respondents including SACCO managers, credit officers, board members, and active members, the study assessed how cash management, receivables management, and payables management influenced return on assets (ROA), portfolio at risk (PAR30), and operational self-sufficiency (OSS). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with path analysis was employed alongside descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression to examine both direct and mediated relationships among working capital management dimensions and financial performance. The structural model revealed that cash management exerted the strongest total effect on financial performance (total path coefficient = 0.487), with receivables management partially mediating the relationship between cash management and financial performance (indirect path β = 0.134). The regression model confirmed that the three working capital dimensions collectively explained 61.3% of the variance in financial performance (R² = 0.613, F = 34.82, p < .001). Recommendations emphasise cash flow forecasting, formalised credit management protocols, and ERP system adoption as priority interventions.

Keywords

Working Capital Management Financial Performance SACCO Cash Management Receivables Management Payables Management SEM Namungoona Kampala
Metropolitan Journal of Social and Educational Research

Cite This Article

Namatovu Hellen1 & Irumba Alex2 (2026). Working Capital Management and Financial Performance of SACCOs in Namungoona, Kampala. Metropolitan Journal of Social and Educational Research, 5(9). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=599