Abstract:
This paper explores unethical practices in universities in Kenya, showing the
challenges they pose to academic integrity. There has been a rapid expansion of
university education in Kenya, even though demand for higher education has
plateaued in recent years. The number of qualified students seeking to join private
universities, and associated tuition revenue, has declined significantly since 2017
when cheating in high school examinations was eradicated. Some universities have
resorted to unethical practices to enroll students and offer programs that have not
been accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). There is also a
growing concern among governments, educators, students, and other stakeholders
that unethical practices in higher education is spreading quickly and compromising
the integrity of academic programs.
The paper proposes that strategies can be put in place to enhance academic integrity.
It does this by considering why individuals act unethically, even though doing so
contributes to damaging the credibility of the sector. The idea of the prisoner’s
dilemma is introduced to explain why it remains in individuals’ interest to act in this
way. Based on this, we suggest that changes be made to shift the balance of risk and
reward. These changes can include efforts to detect unethical behaviour; discourage
it through more consistent penalties; and to encourage and reward positive
alternatives. We propose that everyone in Higher Education could contribute to
these changes, suggesting interventions that could be made by teachers in
classrooms; by trainers within universities; and by policy makes nationally
