This study sought to establish the relationship between liquidity risk and failure of commercial banks in Kenya in the years 2013 to 2016. Additionally, the study endeavoured to establish the effect of capital adequacy, asset quality, management quality, earnings, sensitivity to market and size on the failure of banks in Kenya. To achieve this goal, secondary data was collected from the websites of operational banks while data for failed banks was collected from reports published by the central bank of Kenya, corroborated with publications in past years newspapers. Panel logit regression was used to analyze the data using Eviews 9.5 student version. The results of the regression revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between liquidity risk and bank failure, implying that liquidity increased the likelihood of failure. The study also found a positive and significant relationship between bank failure and asset quality and earnings indicating that they increased the likelihood of failure. The study found a negative and significant relationship between bank failure and management quality and sensitivity to market implying that they decreased the likelihood of bank failure. Capital adequacy and bank size were found to have insignificant relationship with the failure of commercial banks in Kenya. These findings are valuable to managers in understanding how the variables of the study increase or decrease the likelihood of failure so that they may come up with appropriate strategies for managing the various risks facing their banks

The operating environment for commercial banks in Kenya has become very dynamic and highly competitive. The witnessed cases of bank failure and poor financial performance have made commercial banks develop strategies to improve their financial performance, remain competitive, and meet the regulator's compliance requirements. Mergers and Acquisitions Strategies are on the rise as a strategy aimed to alleviate the ailing sector. In light of this, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya as a result of mergers and acquisitions Strategies. Operating efficiency and market share impact on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya formed the specific objectives. The study objectives were supported by synergies theory, resource-based view theory and agency theory. The study adopted a correlational descriptive research design, including cross-sectional data analysis.  By the year 2017, 30 commercial banks in Kenya had considered mergers and acquisitions strategies were considered as the population of this study. An average of three-year ratios was computed in both pre-merger and post -acquisition periods inorder to assess the impact financial performance. The years of the deal were excluded. The mean difference between the pre-Mergers and Acquisitions Strategies and post-Mergers and Acquisitions Strategies ratios was tested using the T-test.The findings were that Mergers and Acquisitions Strategies have a statically positive significant relationship with the dependent variable. Recommends from the study are that, the policymakers create policies that facilitate and encourage commercial banks to employ mergers and acquisition strategies to achieve better financial performance.

The study explores the effect of financial engineering on financial performance of deposit taking Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (SACCOs) in Kenya. Population constituted of 163 SACCOs and a sample of 45 was considered. The results depicted that SACCOs have adopted financial engineering practices in three forms: product engineering, process engineering and financial solutions engineering. In terms of their effect on performance, only process engineering was found to have a positive and significant relationship with financial performance. Product engineering and financial solutions engineering were found to have a positive but insignificant relationship was obtained. The study recommends that SACCOS should adopt financial engineering practices so as to improve their performance. More focus should be on process engineering. As such, SACCOs should automate their operations, adopt paperless services, use mobile banking services platform, use electronic funds transfer and install ATMs so as to improve their performance. In terms of control variables, the amount of loans were found to positively and significantly influence financial performance. As such, SACCOs should strive to derive products that can increase their level of loans. Keywords: Financial engineering, Financial performance, SACCOs, Kenya.

The study explored the effect of portfolio management strategies on portfolio returns of mutual funds in Kenya. The population of the study was all the mutual funds licensed by CMA as at 2018. The study concluded that portfolio management strategies have an impact on portfolio returns. In Kenya, the most preferred strategy was active portfolio strategy. Mutual funds that employed active and growth portfolio management strategy generated negative returns, although active strategy is the most preferred strategy, the costs that the strategy attracts leads to negative returns. Those that employed value and passive portfolio management strategies generated positive returns. The study recommends that mutual funds should use value and passive strategies as they produce positive returns, and this is because of the low cost incurred when using these strategies. Keywords: Portfolio Management Strategies, Returns, Mutual funds, Kenya.