Whispers from academic abyss: Musings of a postraduate

Costly journey of attaining a PhD. [Getty Images]

Pursuing a doctorate degree in Kenya is like signing up for a life of organised chaos, with a dash of existential dread and a pinch of caffeine-induced delirium. You start out full of ambition and excitement, thinking you’re going to revolutionize the world with your thesis, only to realize that your world has shrunk to endless academic papers, missed deadlines, and the haunting echo of your professor’s voice in your dreams.

It begins with good intentions, as most things do. You decide to pursue a PhD in Kenya, which quickly feels less like an academic endeavour and more like a high-stakes survival show. Your final thesis becomes the Everest of this ordeal except you don’t get oxygen tanks, sherpas, or Instagram-worthy moments; just sleepless nights, WhatsApp group debates, and a supervisor who might as well be a mythological creature for how rarely they appear.