The role of small and medium enterprises in any country's economic development cannot be under estimated. It is important for all countries especially the developing ones to note that the key to having a sustained development is to improve the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This ensures economic growth is inclusive of all people. The success of these enterprises should be the concern of all governments that are interested in not only alleviating poverty as a major threat to sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of top management commitment as a Total Quality Management (TQM) practice on performance of small and medium enterprises. The study concentrated on youth group projects in Kajiado north sub county, Kajiado County, Kenya. Youth projects were randomly selected from Kajiado north sub-county, in five wards. The study used mixed method approach in the data collection and analysis, to capture both the qualitative and quantitative data. The design is descriptive. The target population was 210 youth that were involved in youth group projects. Spearman's correlation was used to test the relationship between the variables. The analyses indicated that there is significant relationship between top management and performance.

This study explored the influence of Total Quality Management practices on performance of Small and Medium Enterprises. Youth Projects in Kajiado County, Kenya were used as the target population. One of the key TQM management practices is training of employees. The study sort to determine the influence of training of employees on performance on SMEs. The study was carried out on 168 youth group projects in Kajiado County.Questionnaires and interviews were used as research instruments. For triangulation purpose, the interview schedule was used to confirm the information captured by the questionnaire. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The study used mixed method approach in the collection and analysis, to capture both the qualitative and quantitative data.Spearman’s correlation was used to test the relationship between training and performance of SMEs. The analyses indicated a moderately positive relationship between training and performance of SMEs in Kajiado county which was statistically significant rs=0.400, p=0.600.Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, it is recommended that to improve the performance of the youth groups, they should strive to ensure their product in the market is superior. This can only be ensured by equipping their employees with proper skills, knowledge and values through training.