NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyatta University (KU) has been ranked the best university in Kenya in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, reaffirming its dominance in teaching quality, research output, and social impact.
The ranking placed KU ahead of the University of Nairobi (UoN), which came in second, while Egerton University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology followed in third and fourth place, respectively. Kabarak University rounded out the top five.
The 2026 edition evaluated 2,191 universities from 115 countries, measuring performance across five key pillars — teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry innovation.
Although both KU and UoN were ranked within the 1,000–1,500 global band, slightly lower than their previous 500–1,000 position, KU outperformed its peers on several indicators, including health and wellbeing, financial resilience, learning experience, and community impact.
“World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions — teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook,” Times Higher Education said.
In the 2025 THE Impact Rankings, which assess institutions against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), KU ranked between positions 201–300 globally, excelling in Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).
The University of Nairobi maintained a strong showing in traditional research and medical disciplines but trailed KU in international engagement and industry partnerships.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University and Egerton University were also recognised for progress in sustainability research, performing well in areas such as No Poverty (SDG 1) and Life Below Water (SDG 14) despite resource constraints.
Meanwhile, private institutions such as Mount Kenya University, Riara University, and Murang’a University of Technology also featured among the top 11 Kenyan universities in the global index — a sign of expanding competition and diversity in the higher education sector.
Despite persistent funding gaps and staff shortages across Kenya’s public universities, analysts note that institutions like KU continue to demonstrate resilience through digital transformation, community-based research, and strategic partnerships.
Globally, the University of Oxford retained its top spot with a score of 98.2, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (97.7) and Princeton University (97.2). Harvard and Stanford tied in fifth place.
Kenyatta University’s continued success underscores its growing stature in global academia and its focus on impactful research and inclusive learning — a reflection of Kenya’s potential to compete on the world stage.
