When will you graduate?

On my graduation, scores keep asking 'when will you graduate?' Photo credit @abdu

When will you graduate?

Even as universities warm to the last round of graduation ceremonies this calendar year, scores will keep their fingers on the list of graduands. 

Those who know that I am a Moi University alumnae will certainly be interested to see me graduate. Unfortunately, their anticipation will fade in askance, fertilizing the question ‘when will you graduate?’

To me, this question has become creepier than Utahama lini?, an adage on a popular real estate advert on Kenyan media. 

But then what other question, in my case, would have been more apt? None.

 I have been in college for the last 10 years. How could I just own up that I dropped out of college somewhere in between? I have been lying about it, albeit skimpily.

Currently, I am enrolled for a Masters program. Next year, I will be graduating with a second bachelor’s degree. I was among the handful of the University of Nairobi Bsc. Physics and Mathematics graduates who bagged a Second Class Upper Division. And all.

This would obviously attract congratulatory messages, and scorn, in equal measures.  “You are strong, man,” someone would go, parting on my shoulders, to a non-reciprocating self.

Prospective employers, in accord, have been instrumental in reminding me that I need to graduate ASAP. 


And friends, relatives who could not bear it all. Lets blame the ignominious embarrassment that comes with hanging around liars, losers. What else could explain the falling by the way side of at least 10 Twitter followers following the going live of this campaign?.  

But the concerns of this growing constituency, doubting my anomalous stay at the university, are understandable. They effectively magnify the despair in the air. 

When will you graduate?

Sandal recall move by Woolworths is worth emulating

Woolworths recalled one of its sandals. Product recalls shows a firm's commitment to trading sustainably. Photo credit: gurdian.com

Not so long ago, something very interesting has happened. Woolworths Holdings Limited recalled one of its products in the market. Through an advert on the dailies, the South African retail store with stakes in the Kenyan market, reached out to its customers who could have brought a particular brand of sandals from its stores to return the same, and get their money back.

Woolworths’ move epitomizes the multinational's commitment to trading ethically. 

Product recalls are a common feature in First World economies. Firms that are conscious of their social responsibility do not hesitate to recall products they suspect could compromise on this consciousness.  In January 2013, General Motors recalled over 13000 of its Chevrolet brands to rework on their airbag suspension systems. In 2010, Toyota recalled over 2.3 million cars, including RAV-4s and Lexus HS-250hs, after it discovered that they had faulty acceleration systems. 

But why do firms take all this route?

Organizations use product recalls to endear themselves to their current and potential customers. To redeem favorable brand image, these organizations recall the flawed products and rework them. A bold move, product recalling goes a notch higher than apologizing and reiterates the firm’s commitment to ensuring their responsibility. 

Sometimes, consumer protection organizations enforce products recalls. In worst case scenarios, product recalls in such cases end up in withdrawals. By responding to genuine concerns by customers and stakeholders, firms safeguard themselves from potential liabilities that could result from negligence. 

Importantly, product recalls reaffirm the commitment that organizations have to the needs of their customers. In the Woolworths recall, the retailer purposed to ensure that customers do not suffer injuries and discomfort inflicted on protruding metal parts on the sandals. Genuine customer care. Perhaps this is what organizations running on strategies of yonder do not value. 

What else could explain the dissonance in the complaints and product recall rates in the Kenyan market, for instance?

Cognizant of the need to perform well, indigenous Kenyan organizations should emulate the recent move by Woolworths Holdings Limited. By developing the culture of recalling faulty products, these firms will benefit from customer loyalty and become highly competitive.

Pros and cons of living on campus

When Stephen Kimei landed at Kisii University, the first indication that he was home was a Facebook update in which he bemoaned his experience with a lousy room acquisition system. This only lasted for day one.

 Thanks to the TV room at Manotti Hall, he could now watch his favorite Chelsea Football Club trounce other EPL minnows. 

College and university students often recount their experiences in campus. One such experience is the excitation that comes with owning keys to the hostel room. Finally, I am on my own in deciding when and how to sleep, students would say, albeit intuitively. There are more benefits of residing on campus. 

Students residing on campus access a plethora of facilities. “In campus, there is relative security against outsiders, free electricity and water,” opined Williams Magunga, 22, a law student at the University of Nairobi. Kimei, 20, a Bachelor of Education sophomore, echoes similar sentiments:  “When you stay within, you enjoy access to library services, entertainment opportunities, and subsidized food.” 

Cost incentives motivate students to reside on campus. “A plate of ugali and kale goes for 10 shillings at the mess,” offered Kimei, extolling the pricing regime for food on campus as friendly to students of diverse economic backgrounds. 

According to Magunga, residing on campus benefits students socially. “You see, you live together and interact on a daily basis. The closeness is a recipe for socialization- boys amongst themselves, boys and girls, and girls amongst themselves too.” 

However, not every student resides on campus. The nature of the program and the availability of boarding facilities sometime influence this fate. Some students detest residing in campus. 

“To me, residing on campus is never ever! This is a classic immortalization of the distasteful high school boarding culture. Freedom denied. Period,” opines Valary Ochieng, a Moi University journalism student.

Ochieng believes that new comers pick bad habits while residing on campus, something that Kimei counters. “Our hostels accommodate students in the same year of study, ruling out any possibilities of bad influence.”