Every year, about 658,000 students are enrolled in Kenyan universities to study different courses.
After four or six years of study, an ideal university graduation ceremony involves friends and family behaving like paparazzi, waving and instructing graduates to look their way so they can take the perfect picture. Then feasts follow.
However, this is not the case for everyone. A sizeable number of university students never get to graduate, and to avoid disappointing their parents or guardians, they are turning to photo studios to fake their graduations.
Thanks to photo studios that rent out graduation attire and tailors that custom-stitch from caps to gowns, those who do not graduate for one reason or another — perhaps they failed exams or dropped out — pay to take professional photos, complete with their names engraved on the clothes. Then they send the photos to their parents, especially those who live in villages, as proof of graduation.
Bob Clifford, a photographer and owner of Telephoto Captions studio in Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi, says business booms on graduation days, but he never knows if one is a graduate or faking it.
“We do not ask for evidence because it would seem as if we are invading our clients’ privacy. We only do our work because during graduation almost all the studios are usually packed with graduates who want our services,’’ he says.
The idea of renting out graduation gowns came about when they noticed a unique demand. Some clients said they could not afford to have their graduation photos taken during the busy graduation season and would return to have those special memories captured.
“Not everyone has the financial ability during graduation season because most of their money is spent on celebrations. We realised that some of them would come to the studios to ask if we could take graduation photos even after they’ve returned the gowns to universities. They’d ask if we had any gowns for hire,” he says.
The photographer adds that it is not their place to question their clients about the credibility of their merits.
“Whether or not they have lied to their parents about graduating, that is not our concern,” he says.
At his studio, a typical graduation photo session costs Sh5,000 for 10 pictures. For clients who need a gown, they pay an additional Sh1,500.
John Orindi, the director of corporate affairs at the University of Nairobi, says that the number of graduates who make it to the graduation list and those who do not make it does not have a huge gap. The final figures are almost consistent with the entry numbers.
According to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics data, the number of students enrolment in universities stood at 658,000 students last year.
However, Mr Orindi says that many university students in Kenya drop out because of various reasons that are not necessarily associated with negligence.
‘‘One of the biggest challenges has been the economy, which has made education expensive. Tuition fees have become a major struggle, especially for students whose families are facing financial difficulties. Some choose to defer their studies with the hope of raising the money needed to complete their education later,’’ he says.
Mr Orindi adds that fortunately, many of these students manage to come back and pick up where they left off when their financial situation improves.
For female students, he says that they are mostly caught up with societal issues like getting pregnant, which forces them to pause their education.
‘‘There are also students who feel overwhelmed by the pressure of life because of several factors,’’ he adds.
Cleopa Njiru, a counselling psychologist, explains that the first step as parents when addressing this behaviour is to ask why it happened in the first place. He says that failing to graduate might be connected to deeper issues that began much earlier.
‘‘Not graduating means there is a lie that has been going on. Either they are not attending lectures, or they are not doing tests, or they are not passing their exam,’’ he says.
‘‘They may have genuine concerns like expenses; some are supposed to pay for their accommodation, the upkeep in terms of shopping, and all that, but then they lack the capacity. And instead, they may look for part-time jobs since they still have to survive,’’ he adds.
According to Mr Njiru, some students may also have developed bad habits like addiction to alcohol and other distractions that can prevent them from focusing on their studies.
These behaviours, he says, may begin as minor traits, but they grow into bigger problems over time.
However, some who never enrolled in university are taking photos in fake graduation gowns and posting them on social media, just for the world to see that they are graduates.
What is fuelling this fake lifestyle? Mr Njiru says some young people who lack self-awareness are vulnerable to this behaviour.
They may not fully understand their strengths and weaknesses, which makes them more likely to compare themselves to others. This lack of self-awareness is accompanied by a lack of self-acceptance.
Peer pressure also presents a push for fake success. In a group of friends, if one person appears to be excelling, the others may feel pressured by that. Mr Njiru says that this is common in social circles where people feel the need to belong and maintain a certain image.
Mental health issues, whether mild or undiagnosed, can contribute to this behaviour as well.
“We also have those struggling with a mental condition that is not yet diagnosed,” he says.
The use of drugs and alcohol can further complicate the issue. Mr Njiru points out that substance abuse is becoming normalised among young people, especially in universities.
“When they start using the drugs, their decision-making processes are affected,” he says.
“For sure, yes. It should be particularly loud on social media because that is where most young people are.”
According to Mr Njiru, many parents assume that once their children join university, they no longer need close supervision. However, this is far from true.
“Parents have a right to know who is with their children; they need to know what is likely to happen in the institutions so that they can guide their children appropriately. They still need supervision and guidance,” he says.
