Kenyatta University Tops in Kenya’s 2025 Rankings: Best Universities in Kenya, Africa

Kenyatta University Tops in Kenya’s 2025 Rankings: Best Universities in Kenya, Africa.

Kenyatta University has been ranked as the top university in Kenya according to the latest World Universities Rankings 2025, released on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

However, no Kenyan university made it into the top 10 in Africa. This list is dominated by institutions from South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana, with eight of the top 10 spots taken by South African universities.

Public universities in Kenya have been grappling with numerous challenges, including funding and staffing issues. A new funding model introduced last year has faced resistance, and just two weeks ago, lecturers ended a nationwide strike over pay disputes.

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Kenyan Universities in the Rankings

Aside from Kenyatta University, other Kenyan universities featured in the rankings include:

• Amref International University
• Egerton University
• Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology
• Kabarak University
• Kibabii University
• Kisii University
• Maasai Mara University
• Machakos University
• Catholic University of East Africa
• University of Eldoret
• University of Kabianga
• Zetech University

Criteria for Ranking

Universities are evaluated based on performance indicators grouped into five key areas:

1. Teaching (learning environment)
2. Research environment (volume, income, and reputation)
3. Research quality (citation impact, strength, excellence, and influence)
4. International outlook (staff, students, and research)
5. Industry (income and patents).

Teaching reputation, research environment, and research quality are weighted the most, at 29.5%, 29%, and 30% respectively.

Performance of Kenyan Universities

In the teaching category, assessors consider teaching reputation, staff-to-student ratio, doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio, doctorates awarded per academic staff, and institutional income. Kenyatta University (KU) scored 14.2% in teaching, while the University of Nairobi (UoN) scored 12.5%. Scores for other Kenyan universities were not disclosed.

In research, the key metrics are research reputation, income, and productivity. UoN outperformed KU, with 9.8% in research environment and 37.3% in research quality, compared to KU’s 8.9% and 27.2%, respectively.

Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, remarked that underfunding university teaching often results in worsened staff-to-student ratios, inadequate contact hours, and larger class sizes. He emphasized that this approach negatively affects university rankings when other countries invest more in their education systems.

Global Rankings

Globally, the University of Oxford retained the top position for the ninth consecutive year in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. It was followed by:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
• Harvard University (US)
• Princeton University (US)
• University of Cambridge (UK)

The remaining top 10 universities include:

• Stanford University (UK)
• California Institute of Technology (US)
• University of California, Berkeley (US)
• Imperial College London (UK)
• Yale University (US)

Oxford’s long-standing dominance surpassed Harvard’s eight-year reign, which ended in 2011. Its success has been attributed to improvements in industry income, patent citations, and teaching scores, according to the ranking body’s press statement.

ALSO READ: UoN Student Found Dead in Mwiki Thicket with Acid-Soaked Hands

Top Universities in Africa

The top universities in Africa are:

1. University of Cape Town (SA)
2. Stellenbosch University (SA)
3. University of the Witwatersrand (SA)
4. University of Johannesburg (SA)
5. University of KwaZulu-Natal (SA)
6. University of Pretoria (SA)
7. University of the Western Cape (SA)
8. Covenant University (Nigeria)
9. North-West University (SA)
10. University of Cape Coast (Ghana)

Kenyatta University Tops in Kenya’s 2025 Rankings: Best Universities in Kenya, Africa.

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