KU ranked best university in Kenya in latest global index

Kenyatta University (KU) has continued its strong performance on the global academic stage, emerging as the top-ranked university in Kenya in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026.

The institution edged out the University of Nairobi (UoN), confirming its consistent dominance in quality learning, research impact, and contribution to social development.

The 2026 rankings evaluated 2,191 institutions from 115 countries, focusing on the quality of teaching, research excellence, international outlook, and engagement with industry and society.

In this latest assessment, KU took the lead locally, followed closely by UoN in second place, with Egerton University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology taking the third and fourth positions, respectively.

Kabarak University came fifth, while Karatina, Kibabii, and Machakos universities secured the sixth, seventh, and eighth spots.

Mount Kenya University, Murang’a University of Technology, and Riara University completed the top 11 list of Kenyan institutions featured in the global index.

Globally, KU and UoN were ranked within the 1000–1500 band, slightly lower than their previous positions in the 500–1000 category.

Despite the decline, KU performed better across several key indicators, particularly in health and well-being, financial resilience, research quality, and learning experience.

According to Times Higher Education, the ranking is based on 18 carefully designed performance metrics grouped into five categories: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry innovation.

“World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions, including teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook,” the ranking body noted.

In the 2025 Impact Rankings, KU excelled in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Good Health and Wellbeing, Zero Hunger, and Reduced Inequalities, ranking between positions 201–300 globally.

The results underline KU’s focus on social impact, inclusivity, and knowledge sharing. The University of Nairobi, while maintaining strength in traditional research and medical studies, trailed KU in overall performance and international engagement.

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology made significant progress in sustainability research, ranking within the 1501+ band in the global table, with impressive results in the SDGs No Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Life Below Water. Egerton University appeared in the same global band.

Despite limited funding and staff shortages in public universities, several Kenyan institutions demonstrated resilience and innovation through continued community-based research and expansion of online learning.

At the global level, the University of Oxford remained at the top with an overall score of 98.2, followed closely by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (97.7) and Princeton University (97.2).

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Harvard and Stanford tied in fifth place, while Imperial College London and the University of California, Berkeley were also ranked among the top ten. Out of the top ten universities globally, seven were from the United States, while three hailed from the United Kingdom.

Kenyatta University’s continued rise reaffirms its position as a key player in higher education both locally and internationally, as it strengthens academic standards and expands partnerships despite economic constraints in the education sector.