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UoN has been ranked top institution of higher learning as Strathmore rise to second place in the latest national university rankings released by UniRank.
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According to UniRank, the rankings evaluated 69 accredited universities and colleges in Kenya using indicators such as institutional popularity, web presence and academic visibility.
The University of Nairobi (UoN) has retained its position as Kenya’s top-ranked institution of higher learning in the latest national university rankings released by UniRank.
The 2026 rankings, which assessed more than 60 universities across the country, saw Strathmore University rise to second place, overtaking both Kenyatta University (KU) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT) in one of the most notable shifts among Kenya’s leading institutions.
Kenyatta University dropped to third position, while Mount Kenya University ranked fourth. JKUAT completed the top five.
Strathmore University’s ascent underscores the increasing competition among Kenya’s universities as institutions seek to strengthen their academic profiles, attract students and enhance their visibility locally and internationally.
United States International University–Africa (USIU-Africa) was ranked sixth, followed by Moi University in seventh place and Egerton University in eighth. The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and Kenya Methodist University completed the top ten.
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Catholic University of Eastern Africa ranked eleventh, followed by KCA University in twelfth position and Murang’a University of Technology in thirteenth. Maseno University secured fourteenth place, while the University of Embu ranked fifteenth.
Daystar University and Pwani University were placed sixteenth and seventeenth respectively, with Zetech University taking the eighteenth position. Dedan Kimathi University of Technology and Tangaza University College rounded off the top 20 institutions.
According to UniRank, the rankings evaluated 69 accredited universities and colleges in Kenya using indicators such as institutional popularity, web presence and academic visibility.
The latest rankings come at a time when universities are facing intensified competition for student enrolment, research funding and international partnerships, with institutional reputation increasingly influencing both student choice and collaboration opportunities.
By Frank Mugwe
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