- Kenyan graduates take an average of 11.6 months to secure their first jobs, according to CUE.
- Employers cite weaknesses in communication, problem-solving, digital competence and practical workplace readiness among new recruits.
- The report calls for stronger internships, industry partnerships and competency-based approaches in university education.
Kenyan university graduates are taking an average of nearly a year to secure their first jobs, with lack of work experience emerging as the biggest barrier to employment, a new study by the Commission for University Education (CUE) has found.
The report, titled Employability of Graduates in Kenya: A Study of Perceptions and Expectations of Employers, found that graduates generally consider themselves well prepared for the labour market, but employers continue to identify significant gaps in practical competence, communication, problem-solving, digital skills and workplace readiness.
According to the report, published in June 2026, the average time taken to secure first employment was 11.6 months. Only 25.3 per cent of graduates obtained jobs within six months of graduation, while 34.7 per cent took between six and 12 months.
A further 26.7 per cent took between one and two years to secure employment, while 13.3 per cent took more than two years.
The study identified lack of work experience as the leading obstacle to employment, followed by limited job opportunities, skills mismatch, inadequate professional networks and insufficient labour market information.
The findings expose a disconnect between graduates’ perception of their preparedness and employers’ expectations.
While 52 per cent of graduates described themselves as well prepared for the labour market and another 34 per cent said they were very well prepared, employers reported that many new recruits still require close supervision, mentoring, induction and additional training before they can work independently.
Employers identified communication as one of the biggest weaknesses among graduates, particularly professional writing, presentations, report writing and the ability to articulate ideas effectively.
Problem-solving and critical thinking were ranked as the second major deficiency, while time management, punctuality, meeting deadlines and workplace discipline also emerged as significant concerns.
The report found that employer satisfaction was lowest in areas including green and sustainability awareness, entrepreneurial thinking, written communication, problem-solving and critical thinking.
Written communication recorded a mean satisfaction score of 2.9 out of five, while oral communication and presentations, and problem-solving and critical thinking, each scored 3.0.
Entrepreneurial thinking and commercial awareness scored 2.8, while green and sustainability awareness recorded the lowest score of 2.6.
By contrast, employers gave the highest satisfaction scores to ethical conduct and professional behaviour at 3.5, followed by teamwork and interpersonal skills at 3.4 and adaptability and learning orientation at 3.3.
Internships fall short of workplace needs
The report attributes the skills gap largely to limited practical training, weak university-industry linkages, poorly structured internships, outdated curricula and inadequate emphasis on soft skills.
Although 70 per cent of graduates surveyed said they had accessed internship opportunities, the study found that many internships were too short, poorly structured, difficult to obtain or insufficiently aligned with students’ areas of study.
This has created a cycle in which employers demand experience from new graduates while the education system does not consistently provide sufficient opportunities for them to acquire meaningful workplace experience.
Employers are consequently having to bridge the gap themselves.
The study found that 91 per cent of organisations use on-the-job training to address graduate skills gaps, while 80 per cent use mentorship, 72 per cent induction programmes and 70 per cent coaching.
CUE calls for practical university training
The CUE study recommends a major shift towards practical and competency-based university education.
Universities are urged to strengthen work-integrated learning, internships, industrial attachments, project-based learning, simulations, laboratories and field activities.
They should also regularly review curricula in collaboration with industry to ensure programmes respond to changing labour market demands.
The report further recommends stronger university-industry partnerships, with employers taking a more active role in curriculum development, workplace learning, student mentorship and assessment of practical competencies.
Employers are also encouraged to expand structured internships, apprenticeships and graduate trainee programmes while ensuring workplace learning is properly supervised and linked to defined learning outcomes.
The report proposes that the government develop a National Graduate Employability Framework to establish employability standards, promote work-integrated learning and strengthen labour market intelligence.
CUE is also urged to incorporate employability indicators into programme accreditation and institutional quality reviews while conducting regular graduate tracer studies and employer satisfaction surveys.
The study was based on a mixed-methods approach involving graduates, employers and key informants across sectors including education, manufacturing, ICT, agriculture, hospitality and public service.
The quantitative component comprised 102 graduate respondents and 109 employer respondents.
The report indicates that the employability problem is not primarily a failure of graduates to acquire academic knowledge, but a wider gap between university learning and workplace requirements.
READ ALSO: Stop rescuing children from every difficulty, let them learn responsibility
It calls for a coordinated response involving government, universities, employers, regulators, professional bodies and graduates to ensure that higher education produces not only qualified graduates but also workers capable of applying their knowledge effectively in the workplace.
By Obegi Malack
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
