Kenyans are well familiar with online writers who trash their college degrees as soon as they unsuccessfully land white-collar jobs.
The online business has become a ‘curse’ in disguise as it provides employment to most of the Kenyan unemployed youth, but also renders the skills acquired in universities ‘worthless’ as they are not put to use.
While some earn up to $60 a week, others make anywhere between $20 and $30.
“There are many online companies that hire young writers. After writing for between three months and a year, you can acquire your own account,” explains one writer.
Online writing accounts can either be acquired through buying or opening one. Most people prefer to buy account as the process of opening one is very rigorous and competitive.
“A good account goes for between Sh40,000 and Sh200,000. However, it is very important that one writes before acquiring an account,” the writer adds.
According to Kenya Bureau of Statistics, it takes a Kenyan university graduate an average of five years to secure a job in Kenya today.
However, it has emerged that Payments company PayPal is going to withdraw services from essay-writing firms dishonestly doing assignments for university students.
UK’s Education Secretary Damian Hinds called on PayPal to stop processing payments for such firms, in a bid to beat academic cheating.
Mr Hinds had said it was “unethical for these companies to profit from this dishonest business”.
PayPal is to begin contacting firms which use its payment system to sell academic essays online.
“PayPal is working with businesses associated with essay-writing services to ensure our platform is not used to facilitate deceptive and fraudulent practices in education,” said a spokesman for the payment firm.
“PayPal will continue to diligently review and take appropriate action on accounts found to facilitate cheating that undermines academic integrity.”
From Wednesday, the payment company is to begin contacting essay-writing firms, giving them notice that they should “move their business elsewhere”.
But this will not be an “overnight ban” – as there will be debates over which services are helping students to cheat and which are offering legitimate tutoring assistance.