In the lecture halls, in the noisy hostels and even on the quiet lawns of our universities, one phrase has become the unspoken anthem of many students: ‘What can make money, I will do it.’ On the surface, it sounds bold, ambitious and forward-looking. Who doesn’t want to make money in this age of expensive rent, costly bundles and the endless demands of campus life? But behind this creed hides a dangerous philosophy that is driving our young people into a dark alley of immorality, short cuts and regrets.
Today, many Kenyan university students are not chasing dreams; they are chasing deals. They are not building careers; they are building con games. They are not cultivating discipline; they are cultivating cunning. The hunger for money has replaced the hunger for knowledge. And tragically, ‘anything that makes money’ has come to mean everything that kills character.
Let us be brutally honest. In campuses across the country, the craze for quick money has become a cancer. A generation that was supposed to be sharpening its mind with books and ideas is instead sharpening tricks and skills of survival in backstreet hustles.
Some turn to ‘sponsors’ and transactional relationships; selling their dignity to buy the latest phone or pay rent. Others dive into online scams, conning innocent strangers and calling it ‘hustle. A growing number sink into gambling, forex scams, betting addictions, or pyramid schemes, all in the name of ‘easy money. And the justification is always the same: ‘What can make money, I will do it.’
But here lies the poison: If money is the only measure of success, then nothing else matters; not honesty, not dignity, not purity, not even humanity. That is why theft, sexual immorality and corruption flourish among young people who are supposed to be the torchbearers of tomorrow.
The tragedy of this mindset is that it sells a lie: that shortcuts pay. Yes, shortcuts may glitter for a moment, but their shine fades quickly. A girl who trades her body for school fees may pay rent today but pays with her health, her soul and her self-worth tomorrow. A boy who cons someone online may buy flashy sneakers this semester but may spend the rest of his life dodging police and carrying a guilty conscience.
Gambling may promise millions overnight, but it empties pockets and leaves broken spirits scattered across betting shops. Shortcuts are like rotten fruit: sweet on the outside, poison on the inside.
University education was meant to be the bridge between dreams and destiny. But what happens when students trade their books for ‘side hustles’ that compromise their values? What happens when lecture rooms become empty while betting shops and shisha dens fill up?
We produce graduates who are degree holders but character bankrupt. We release into the job market men and women who can calculate profit but cannot define integrity. We create a generation that measures life by bank accounts, not impact.
And then we wonder why corruption in Kenya is so stubborn. We wonder why marriages are collapsing. We wonder why leaders betray their voters. The truth is simple: if the foundation is greed, the structure will always
be crooked.
Dear student, money is not evil. In fact, money is good and every young person should dream of financial freedom. But money without morals is misery. Profit without purpose is poison.
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The true path is not ‘What can make money, I will do it,’ but ‘what can make me better, I will pursue it.’ Ask yourself: Does this hustle build my skills or destroy my soul? Will this deal leave me with pride or with shame? Am I making money or is money making me?
History is full of men and women who refused to sell their values yet made more impact than millionaires. Wangari Maathai didn’t chase quick riches; she chased trees and today her legacy shades the world. Nelson Mandela didn’t chase business deals; he chased justice and his name
remains a currency stronger than gold.
Even in Kenya today, those who rise to true greatness are those who combine skill, discipline, and integrity. Not those who jump from shortcut to shortcut.
Fellow youth, money will come. But the question is: at what cost? University is not just a place to get a degree; it is the place to shape your destiny. The hours you waste in immoral hustles could be spent mastering a language, perfecting a craft, or networking with mentors who
will open real doors for you.
Stop selling your body. Stop gambling with your mind. Stop conning with your hands. Stop burning your future for coins that slip through your fingers. Instead, read that book, learn that skill, write that proposal, start that clean hustle, and dream that noble dream. You may not drive a German machine tomorrow, but you will build a life that no scandal can destroy.
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The motto ‘What can make money, I will do it’ may sound bold, but it is a coffin dressed in gold. It buries integrity. It buries destiny. It buries the soul of a generation that should be rising, not rotting.
The truth is this: The long road of patience, discipline and integrity may look slow, but it leads to lasting success. The shortcut of ‘anything for money’ may look fast, but it leads to dead ends.
Dear students, do not let your future be auctioned by the hunger for quick cash. Choose to build, not burn. Choose purpose before profit. Choose destiny over deals. Because in the end, life is not about what you bought; it is about what you became.
By Raphael Ng’ang’a.
Raphael Ng’ang’a teacher of English and Literature at a school in Westlands Sub-county.
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