Uni students hiring ‘academic mercenaries’

For many university students today, term papers and research papers are alien, Campus Vibe can reveal.

Very few university students endure the arduous process of writing these papers and instead choose to part with a few thousand shillings to pay companies or individuals to have the job done.

On Facebook for example, there are numerous pages that publicly advertise these services — which include writing of research proposals, theses and term papers.

Pages like Academia Research Writers, Research and Project Proposal Writers Kenya and Goodpaper Kenya are making a kill from students who are either ‘too busy to study’ or just lazy to apply themselves.

Many students place requests to have their research done for them.

Campus Vibe spoke to a fourth-year student from the University of Nairobi who has used the services.

“I went to school so that I could get a job. So, when I did my CPA and got a job while in third year, there wasn’t just enough time for studies, and the job pays really well. But I still need to graduate for future possibilities,” said the fourth-year commerce student who declined to be named.

“These guys advertise everywhere and they are quick. All I need is to graduate. In fact, a paper they did for me has already been approved,” she said.

She told Campus Vibe that she did not have the time to write a research paper, but was willing to part with Sh10,000 to have her undergrad paper written. These services are not offered discreetly and you can even see posters advertising the services displayed prominently in the universities.

Brand Kenya Board chairman Dr Hanningtone Gaya told The Nairobian that this is a scam: “Most of the people doing the researches are lecturers, who deliver poor work any way. The sad result is that people graduate in fields they have no expertise in,” said Dr Gaya.

He added that advertising the services publicly implies that their services have been accepted.