Top 10 Kenyan Universities by Ranking (FULL LIST)

The University of Nairobi (UoN) has retained its position as Kenya’s leading university in the 2026 UniRank listing.

UoN has remained at the top with more than 50,000 students and multiple campuses across Nairobi and Kisumu, including Kikuyu, Parklands, Chiromo, Upper Kabete and Lower Kabete.

UoN Beats KU, JKUAT in Kenya University Rankings

Its position was boosted by the fact that it allows students from abroad to enroll and offers a range of academic and non-academic facilities and services, including a library, housing, sports facilities, financial aid and/or scholarships, and study abroad and exchange programs.

Strathmore University ranks second, ahead of Kenyatta University and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and leads all private universities in the ranking.

The institution is recognized for its focus on business, technology and professional programmes, with an enrolment of about 4,000–4,999 students and a selective admission process.

Kenyatta University is placed third. The public university has a student population exceeding 50,000 and operates campuses in Mombasa, Kitui, Nakuru, Embu, Ruiru, Nyeri, Kiambu, Kericho and Dadaab.

Similar to UoN, KU emerged among the top universities due to the range of facilities offered at the Ruiru-based institution, including libraries, housing, sports facilities, financial aid, and exchange programs.

Mount Kenya University ranks fourth, followed by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in fifth place. Moi University ranks sixth, while Egerton University ranks seventh.

Also Read: UoN Emerges as Kenya’s Only University in Latest Global Ranking

Universities Listed in Top 30

The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) ranks eighth, United States International University Africa (USIU-Africa) is ninth, and Kenya Methodist University completes the top 10 list.

Beyond the top 10, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa ranked 11th, followed by KCA University (12th), Murang’a University of Technology (13th), Maseno University (14th) and the University of Embu (15th).

Daystar University was ranked 16th, ahead of Pwani University (17th), Zetech University (18th), Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (19th) and Tangaza University (20th).

Other institutions in the top 30 include Kabarak University (21st), Chuka University (22nd), Kisii University (23rd), Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (24th), Africa Nazarene University (25th), Kirinyaga University (26th), University of Eastern Africa, Baraton (27th), Kibabii University (28th), Technical University of Mombasa (29th) and Meru University of Science and Technology (30th).

Further down the list were Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (31st), South Eastern Kenya University (32nd), University of Eldoret (33rd), The Co-operative University of Kenya (34th) and Machakos University (35th).

Also Read: Kenyatta University Student Wins Global Huawei ICT Award in China

According to UniRank, the 2026 Kenya University Ranking includes institutions that are officially recognized or accredited by the relevant higher education authorities in Kenya, offer bachelor’s and postgraduate degree programmes, and primarily provide traditional classroom-based learning. 

The organization says the rankings are based on independent web intelligence and online popularity metrics rather than information submitted by universities themselves.

Kenya University Rankings 2026 (UniRank)