This archive report was first published on 27 July 2021.
Published on July 27, 2021, a CBS Television investigative piece exposed the multibillion-dollar academic writing industry in Kenya, where Kenyan youth earn billions of dollars from writing exams and assignments for American students.
The practice, known as 'contract cheating,' has been a concern for US authorities and scholars, as it poses a risk to American society by allowing graduates to be regarded as professionals despite lacking the necessary skills and knowledge.
According to the report by CBS reporter Debra Patta, Kenyan youth earn billions of dollars from academic writing, with some making over Ksh 200,000 per month.
The Kenyan writers are given login details to American students' portals and libraries, where they can study and eventually do the exams on behalf of the students.
Some Kenyan writers pay their experienced colleagues to open accounts on different websites, where they hire writers to do the work for a smaller pay.
The American students pay between Ksh 2,000 to Ksh 5,000 per page, but the account holders take a 75 percent cut, paying their writers between Ksh 500 and Ksh 1,200 per page.
One Kenyan writer confessed to doing exams and academic writing work for several years on behalf of an American student, who had paid him to do his undergraduate degree and master's degree.
The writer revealed that the American student had promised to pay him to do his Ph.D. as well.
Interviewees cited financial struggles as the reason they joined the lucrative business, with one writer saying, 'I have been searching for work since I finished school and I have one degree but no real job. You can't steal and so you have to find something to do for yourself. It is not really something you would be proud of to tell people that you help others cheat.'
