Kenyan universities are churning out thousands of half-baked graduates annually because a large number of students have been paying third parties to write their theses, academic reports and answers for take-away assignments.
So widespread has the scandal become that employers have raised the red flag, saying prospective candidates consistently fail industry tests.
You employ these masters students, who have good papers, but the same is not reflected in how they approach the work, said Mrs Jackline Mugo, the executive director of the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE). The quality of papers produced does not match this alleged masters degrees.
Investigations by the Nation have uncovered a racket in which students buy ready answers for take-away exams, projects and thesis reports that are then presented for marking.
With Sh14,000, a Masters student can buy copies of theses in any of the over 60 bureaus that have sprung up in Nairobi and other major towns. And for only Sh2,000, one can buy a researchable topic, proposal or concept paper that one can then submit to unsuspecting lecturers who then innocently approve them, paving the way for the students to buy the main project paper.
In Nairobi, some of the racketeers have set up bureaus in buildings rented by campuses. Their offices are tastefully furnished, an indication that they are engaged in highly profitable schemes.
At the University of Nairobi, those engaged in the illegal practice conduct it in the halls of residence and some openly advertise their services on notice boards and walls of lecture halls and other campus buildings. Some of the mercenary researchers are stationed in a students office on the campus.
So widespread has the scandal become that employers have raised the red flag, saying prospective candidates consistently fail industry tests.
You employ these masters students, who have good papers, but the same is not reflected in how they approach the work, said Mrs Jackline Mugo, the executive director of the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE). The quality of papers produced does not match this alleged masters degrees.
Investigations by the Nation have uncovered a racket in which students buy ready answers for take-away exams, projects and thesis reports that are then presented for marking.
With Sh14,000, a Masters student can buy copies of theses in any of the over 60 bureaus that have sprung up in Nairobi and other major towns. And for only Sh2,000, one can buy a researchable topic, proposal or concept paper that one can then submit to unsuspecting lecturers who then innocently approve them, paving the way for the students to buy the main project paper.
In Nairobi, some of the racketeers have set up bureaus in buildings rented by campuses. Their offices are tastefully furnished, an indication that they are engaged in highly profitable schemes.
At the University of Nairobi, those engaged in the illegal practice conduct it in the halls of residence and some openly advertise their services on notice boards and walls of lecture halls and other campus buildings. Some of the mercenary researchers are stationed in a students office on the campus.