EAST AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

Customers are very important when it comes to discussing or voicing their concerns or dissatisfaction with a product before steps are taken to fix it. This necessitates that customers are aware of their rights in relation to complaint procedures so that they can take appropriate action in accordance with the regulations. To prevent the exploitation of Kenyan consumers, the Consumer Protection Act was passed. However, Kenyans continue to encounter deceptive advertisements, unethical business practices, inflated electricity and water bills, and lack of product information, among other business malpractices. Thus, this study sought to investigate factors influencing the level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) among household consumers in Nairobi County with a focus on Southlands Estate, Langa’ta. The specific objectives are; to evaluate the influence


INTRODUCTION
Consumer protection is a relatively new concept in the majority of emerging nations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and African nations (Muh Endriyo, 2011).Even though there is more support for stricter consumer protection because of new laws, the journey is still in its early stages.Before anything can be done about customer complaints or concerns, they need a way to voice them (Donoghue & de Klerk, 2009).To do this, consumers need to know about their legal rights, such as how to file a complaint, and act accordingly.Furthermore, legislation is not always the greatest tool to safeguard consumer rights (Sakina et al. 2012).As a result, consumers need to fight for their rights to be safeguarded against exploitation in the market.
Consumer protection is an idea that is known all over the world.It should address the real and perceived power differences between people who make things and people who buy them.Academics like Bello, Suleiman, and Danjuma (2012) and Ndubisi, Anyanwu, and Nwankwo (2016) disregard this power imbalance as being irrelevant.They believe that marketing theory, which is focused on consumer education, customer focus, and consumer-driven offerings, should be defined in terms of consumer sovereignty.Scholars in the existing literature, such as Moguluwa, Nwankwo, Anyasor, and Agina (2018) saw this imbalance as an example of the "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) school of thought, which was common in a market that was growing and changing quickly, where sellers and producers of goods and services had freedom and a competitive edge over customers.Ishak and Zabil (2012) found that consumers who are aware of their rights and take steps to uphold those rights are more likely to be protected.Consumers from both large and small locations in Malaysia participated in the study.Having an understanding of one's consumer rights was found to significantly correlate with exemplary consumer conduct.It also found that knowing about rights has less of an effect on good consumer behaviour than knowing about rights.Bello, Aduke, and Danjuma (2012) say that consumers are not very likely to buy things when they do not know much about them.The study of Nigerian consumers showed a strong link between the country's low level of consumer awareness and its lack of consumerism and action against unethical business practices.The study came to the conclusion that the Consumer Protection Act of 2004 had not improved consumer protection and that, even if a consumer protection law is in place, consumerism may not happen in a society if consumers are not taught how to make good decisions.
Vijayakumar and Venugopal (2012) pointed out that educating customers makes them more conscious of their rights.This study was conducted in India on consumer rights awareness and revealed that education played a significant role in enhancing consumers' understanding of their rights.The study also showed that people can still be taken advantage of even when they know their rights.The study was mostly about colleges and universities that have courses on consumer affairs.Most of the students who were interviewed thought that shoppers would be less likely to be taken advantage of if they knew their rights as consumers.This is proof that knowing about consumer rights makes businesses less likely to take advantage of those rights.Khurana and Khurana (2012) looked at how well Indian consumers know about the Consumer Protection Act (1986) and how it protects them.The study was done in the Haryana State district of Yamunanagar.One goal of the study was to come up with suggestions for how to improve India's consumer awareness program.The study found that all of the people who took part in it knew about consumer protection in general and that all of them had been exploited in some way.The data also showed that nobody who responded had called the National Consumer Hotline for assistance with consumer issues, and that only 10% had sought help from the consumer forum.Even though most people in the country were aware of their consumer rights, this showed that few consumer protection mechanisms were being used.Jayasubramanian and Vaideke (2012) came to the conclusion that people do not know enough about consumer rights and how to protect them because there is not enough communication.The study looked at how well people in India know about their rights as consumers and how they feel about measures to protect them.It showed that even though the government takes steps to protect the consumer, the consumer may not use those steps correctly.
In their study of how marketing affects consumerism among urban household consumers, Njuguna, Oloko, and Oyugo (2015) note that there is a need for more research into the replication of their study in other counties, the impact of consumer demographics on consumerism, the efficacy of consumer protection organizations, and a study comparing rural and urban consumers.Mutiso ( 2013) researched E-commerce: The Case for the Consumer Protection Act which looked from the point of view of other disciplines.Amuti (2016) did a study on how well the Consumer Protection Act protects banking borrowers in Kenya, with a focus on the terms and conditions for an unsecured loan at the National Bank of Kenya.Most of these studies did not pay attention to the most important parts of CPA 46, including the right to be protected, the right to know, the right to decide, and the right to be heard.Also, the aspects that affect the level of awareness were not clearly explained, leaving a gap in knowledge that this study is expected to fill.
Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is also the job of consumers to be aware of and fight against unfair market practices.If these rules are broken, consumers should file a complaint.John F. Kennedy established four main consumer rights: the right to safety, the right to information, the right to an audience, and the right to a choice (Sekhar, 2018).The purpose of this research was to ascertain how well-known and understood the Consumer Protection Act is among the general public using John F. Kennedy's bill of four fundamental consumer rights.The purpose of this research was to examine how various demographic and cultural factors, as well as the nature of the Consumer Protection Act itself, affect customers' level of familiarity with it in Southlands Estate, Kenya.In this article, only two variables are discussed; Culture and nature of law.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 46 was adopted in Kenya in 2012 as part of the country's updated constitution.With the Consumer Protection Act and other consumer protection laws already in place, one could say that the consumer protection system is strong.This is not the case, as the majority of the agencies tasked with upholding consumer rights are ineffective in fulfilling their duties.These organisations, like the Kenyan Competition Authority and the Competition Tribunal, do not work together to strengthen consumer protection; instead, each carries out its own mandate.Additionally, there is overlap in a number of consumer protection laws, posing the issue of whether the law is more important.The overlap of authority responsibilities makes it more difficult for consumers to protect themselves against fraudsters extorting money from naive customers, fake goods, inferior goods, and even companies that take advantage of their clients.However, despite the CPA being in place, Kenyan consumers continue to be taken advantage of through deceptive advertising, unfair business practices, a lack of product information, subpar service quality, and pricing that falls short of what consumers expect in terms of value from the product or service delivery.
Since unethical marketing practices gravely undermine the fundamental rights of consumers, markets are where more difficulties are currently found.Many consumers are also harmed in markets.Newspaper articles detailed more problems with unethical commercial tactics in the Kenyan market.In order to efficiently oversee the market, the Kenyan government created legislation to protect consumer rights, yet, efforts to combat black marketing are still ineffectual (Communication Authority of Kenya, 2020).Numerous instances showed a lack of understanding of consumers' rights in markets.Studies conducted depict that there is a need for increased consumer level of awareness and knowledge on CPA.Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) among household consumers in Nairobi County with a focus on Southlands Estate, Langata.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• To examine the influence of culture on the level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) among household consumers in Southlands Estate, Lang'ata.
• To assess the influence of the nature of the law on awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) among household consumers in Southlands Estate, Lang'ata.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Mohan and Suganthi (2013) explored rural consumers' awareness of their consumer rights.The purpose of the study was to measure the level of rural consumer rights awareness.The study indicated a substantial correlation between rural consumers' consumer rights knowledge and their age, level of education, marital status, and monthly income.Furthermore, there is no correlation between the amount of consumer rights awareness among rural consumers and their gender, family structure, occupation, or monthly income.
Goowalla ( 2016) revealed in a study on consumer protection and its awareness among rural people in the Jorhat region of Assam that 90% of those surveyed had felt exploited by the seller at some point.75% of the population knows of the Consumer Protection Act, whereas 25% do not.In addition, 40% of graduates were aware of the quality of the products, compared to 30% of postgraduates.In addition, 40% of graduates were aware of the quality of the products, compared to 30% of postgraduates.Benner's phenomena of interpretation were also utilised in the study, which investigated the participants' everyday experiences and opinions on consumer protection and standard-setting in the Nigerian electrical industry.Due to their ignorance, customers in the Nigerian electrical industry confront a number of consumer protection issues, the most significant of which is a lack of consumer education and informational expertise.As a result, the document educates and assists consumers on how to file complaints with the appropriate agencies regarding rights infringement.Kareem, Rashidi, Abulla, and Mahmood (2016) conducted a study on the correlation between social media and processed food consumer awareness.The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of social issues and the impact of social media on the increase in consumer awareness of produced meals.Using a well-established questionnaire survey technique, the study employed a qualitative methodology.The respondents were picked using a stratified sampling technique based on the full-time employees of the organization.According to the study's findings, social media has a greater impact on consumer understanding of manufactured food products than traditional social media.
Mazlan, Radzuan, and Barker (2014) did a study on consumer education in the formation of a consumeraware nation in order to determine if consumer education in Malaysia has attained its goal of increasing public awareness.To achieve the purpose of the study, the researchers employed a qualitative methodology consisting of in-depth interviews with many stakeholders.The study gathered secondary data on consumer issues from an online service, media, academic journals, and textbooks.According to the research, consumers are exposed to risks and dangers as a result of accepting inferior products and services due to a lack of formal and informal understanding.Nonetheless, the outcomes were comparable to Zhang, Chen, Lytras, and Sun's (2014) research on the impact of social media on collaborative learning.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
According to Solomon, (2015) there are many different perspectives shaping the field of consumer behaviour.The study is anchored in economic theory of regulation.

Economic Theory of Regulation
Stigler championed this hypothesis in 1971.The initial theory of economic regulation by Stigler was founded on capture theory, but it was revised to include public interest theory and private interest theory.According to economic theory, supply and demand in the market ensure the equitable distribution of the monetary objective known as regulation.The economic regulation theory proposes that government intervention is necessary to protect the market because industrial organizations have more information about the market than other stakeholders, like consumers.
From a theoretical perspective, if demand originates from policymakers, then government regulation will be more successful than that of the opposition.In Stigler's view, the purpose of economic theory is to help its adherents gain power and money through government oversight.This study's theoretical framework, based on the government's oversight role in consumer education, achieves its aims.Cultivation theory, furthermore, is a supplement to this one.

METHODOLOGY
This research adopted a descriptive approach.Researchers can use a descriptive method to find out how often certain variables happen or what their relationship is (Bryman & Bell, 2007).A descriptive design, according to Bryman and Bell (2007), is one that seeks information on current events by providing questions about human perceptions and attitudes towards these events.According to Polit and Beck (2014), in a descriptive study, researchers observe, count, outline, and classify.They also classify descriptive research as studies that attempt to precisely illustrate the features of persons, groups, and/or the frequency of particular events.
According to Pole and Lampard (2010), the target population consists of all members of a specific group to which the research relates.The study's target demographic consisted of 417 respondents from the Southland Estate in Lang'ata, County of Nairobi.The unit of analysis includes the household's head.
The sampling technique for a given study describes the sampling unit, sampling frame, sampling processes, and sample size.Cooper and Schindler (2003) pointed out that the sample frame includes a list of all the population units from which the sample should be taken.A sample size of 42 respondents (heads of households) was chosen using simple random sampling for the study.These individuals made up 10% of the entire population.According to Mugenda & Mugenda (2008), a 10%-40% sample size is sufficient for a given study to be representative of the entire population.
The main tool for gathering data was selfadministered questionnaires.The quiz asks about one's familiarity with and understanding of the Consumer Protection Act.The objective of the open questions is to give respondents the freedom to express themselves deeply and emotionally in reaction to the information provided and to respond to the closed questions with the few available answers without worrying about being rejected.Closed or structured questions are often easier to analyse, whereas open or unstructured ones allow for more thorough solutions.
A pilot test was conducted prior to the collection of the final data to assess the content validity of the questionnaire.To assess the trustworthiness of the overall measuring system, Cronbach's alpha was applied.Overall, Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.81 to 0.91 to 0.94, which is an excellent result (Nunnally, 1978).Thus, the research instrument was valid for the collection of the final data in this study.
Using a questionnaire, the research collected primary data.The questions were both closed-ended and open-ended.The drop-and-pick method was used to collect data from the intended respondents.The researcher recruited two research assistants, who assisted with questionnaire distribution.Training was provided to research assistants regarding the purpose of the study.In order to collect data for the study, the researcher distributed 42 questionnaires.
The gathered information was encoded and entered into the SPSS 25 programme.For each question on the Likert scale, a Cronbach alpha test was undertaken.The study employed a descriptive research strategy to determine the factors impacting the level of Consumer Protection Act (CPA) awareness and knowledge.
For descriptive analysis, each research construct indicator was supplied.A 5-point Likert scale was used to rate the indicators for each of the study's components, with the mean and standard deviation serving as markers of central tendency and dispersion, respectively.Inferential statistics were used in addition to descriptive statistics to establish the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.To ascertain the relationship between independent variables (culture and kind of legislation) and dependent variables, a model summary and ANOVA were used (the Consumer Protection Act).The association between the variables was determined using a multiple regression equation.

RESULTS, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Only 33 of the 42 questionnaires distributed were returned fully completed, and nine questions had incomplete answers.The 79 percent response rate reflected by the 33 returned questionnaires is sufficient for statistical analysis.Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for all 24 dependent and independent items in this study, showing that 0.81 to 0.89 is a satisfactory and acceptable range for Cronbach's alpha.

Culture
Table 1 summarises the descriptive research on cultural factors that influence the level of Consumer Protection Act awareness and knowledge (CPA).With a mean score of 4.20 and a standard deviation of 0.653, the study proved that culture affects the level of Consumer Protection Act (CPA) awareness and knowledge.It was clear that if the Consumer Protection Act should be translated in native language it would increase the level of awareness and knowledge among consumers as indicated by means score of 4.47.The average score of 4.36 indicates that individuals and households who obtain products or services for personal use are unaware of the Consumer Protection Act.As evidenced by a mean score of 4.27, respondents agreed that the Consumer Protection Act applies to consumer households and is exercised in accordance with the statute.Native language strongly affects the consumer level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act as shown by a mean score of 4.12.

Nature of Law
The descriptive analysis in  -3.54).Respondents disagreed that lawyer's fee required to file a consumer complaint is affordable (Mean-3.28).It was clear that government is not doing enough in implementing the Act given the many consumer complaints (Mean-3.12).Likewise, respondent felt that government and consumer lobbing groups have not done enough advocacy on the Act Kenya consumers understand consumerism (mean-3.09).

Model Summary
According to the results that are displayed in Table 3 below, the value of R 2 is 0.440, which demonstrates that the two independent variables that were investigated for the purpose of this study contribute to 44% of the level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act.This suggests that the remaining 56% of the awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act is attributable to other factors that were not investigated in this study.

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
As illustrated in Table 4, the level of significance is at 0.000, which is below 0.05, implying that the model is statistically significant where independent variables had an influence on the dependent variable.In addition, the value of F-53.354 is greater than p-0.000.This implies that the model was significant.

Regression Coefficients
The results indicate that holding the independent variables (culture and nature of law) at constant the level of awareness and knowledge of household consumers of CPA would be 0.855.It was established that when culture is increased by a single unit the level of awareness and knowledge of house hold consumers of CPA will increase by 0.608, when nature of law is increased by a single unit the level of awareness and knowledge by household consumer of CPA will increase by 0.584.The equation of regression formed was as below: Y= β0 + β1X1 + β2X2 + € Y= 0.855 + 0.608X1 + .584X2+ α The study discovered a positive and significant relationship between culture and level of awareness and knowledge of household consumers of the Consumer Protection Act (t=2.887,P = .000).The study also discovered a positive and significant relationship between the nature of the law and level of awareness and knowledge of household consumers of the Consumer Protection Act (t=1.700,P = .000).

DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS
The study's multiple linear regression analysis shows that all of the proposed hypotheses about relationships with demographic characteristics are true.Multiple regressions indicate that consumer rights awareness is favourably connected with their purchasing behaviour.Awareness of consumer rights influences positively the purchasing behaviour of consumers.
Pearson's correlation study showed a strong positive link between the Consumer Protection Act and how well consumers know and understand their rights (right to safety, right to be informed, right to choose, and right to be heard).Previous studies indicate that a statistically significant positive association exists between general consumer rights knowledge and purchase behaviour (Agbonifoh & Edoresh, 2016;Ishak & Zabil, 2012;Abdolvand et al., 2014;Fatima & Lodhi, 2015;Ateke & Didia, 2018).In addition, it is supported by the concept of customer awareness (Chandra, 2011;Indirani, 2016).There are strong favourable relationships between the qualities of consumer rights knowledge and their overall purchasing behaviour.
According to the results of this study's regression analysis, understanding consumer rights aspects has a statistically significant favourable effect on customer purchasing behaviour in Southland Estate, Nairobi County.The right to choose is the most significant predictor of awareness level, followed by the rights to safety, information, and participation.Consumers' awareness of their rights had good and significant effects on their purchasing behaviour, as demonstrated by numerous studies conducted previously (McEachern & Warnaby, 2008;Hartlieb & Jones, 2009;Ishak & Zabil, 2012;Thomas, 2013;Abdolvand et al., 2014;Fatima & Lodhi, 2015;Ateke & Didia, 2018).

CONCLUSION
In this study, Southland Estate residents' awareness and understanding of the Consumer Protection Act were studied in relation to several circumstances.The study found that culture (sub-culture, beliefs, language) influence consumer level of awareness and knowledge about the Consumer Protection Act.Most of the consumer do not understand the language in which the CPA is written with (English version).Most of the consumer buy good for their consumption and thus do not bother about CPA.
The study concludes that nature of law (litigation costs, enforcement, conflict, accessibility, communication strategy) influence consumer level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).Even though most of the consumers interviewed feel English is difficult to understand, the terminologies used in CPA are easy to understand by some of the consumers.However, if a consumer has a complaint about a product, they find it difficult to prosecute the firm due to high cost of legal fee.The study discovered a favourable and statistically significant association between culture, the nature of law, and the awareness and knowledge of CPA among household customers.

Recommendation
The study was done at the Southland Estate in Langata, Nairobi County, with a small sample size in a small area.Knowledge of consumer rights and shopping practices cannot be generalized to their full extent.Yet, the study's findings may be indicative of national consumer awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act.The government pays less attention to consumerism, consumer rights, corporate social responsibility, and other marketing efforts, and the Consumer Protection Act of 2012 has not been aggressively implemented.
In order to engage in rational purchase behaviour and make informed selections, consumers must increase their level of awareness.Also, extra effort is required to strengthen the degree of consumer protection, with a focus on the customer's right to safety, right to information, right to choice, and especially right to be heard, as consumers are quite worried about it.Modern rules for protecting consumers must grow and get stronger so that they can deal with a wide range of new problems and opportunities.This research's findings could improve business tactics and consumer well-being by helping students, firms, farmers, and service-sector clients better understand their rights as consumers.Largescale studies on a wide range of topics and in a wide range of political, social, cultural, and economic contexts will be possible in the future.Knowledge of consumer rights and its impact on consumer ethnocentrism and spending habits among different demographics of people living in the same household can also be investigated.

Table 1 : Descriptive Analysis of Culture Mean Std. Dev The
Consumer Protection Act on consumer household is exercised as stated on the act Table 2 is based on the influence of nature of law on level of awareness and knowledge of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).