- Kenya’s university student population has grown by 12.5 per cent to 707,150 in 2025, according to a new CUE report.
- The report has revealed that staffing and infrastructure have not kept pace with rising enrolment, with non-teaching staff numbers declining by 7.5 per cent.
- CUE has warned of a growing mismatch between oversubscribed fields like arts and social sciences and under-enrolled STEM programmes, urging greater investment in quality and relevance.
Kenya’s university student population rose by 12.5 per cent to 707,150 in 2025, placing fresh pressure on institutions to expand staffing, infrastructure and learning resources, a new report by the Commission for University Education (CUE) shows.
The University Statistics Report 2025 shows that student enrolment increased from 628,541 in 2024 to 707,150 in 2025, as demand for university education continued to rise. The number of universities and university institutions also grew from 79 to 83 during the period under review, signalling continued expansion of the higher education sector.
The increase has largely been driven by growth in chartered private universities and public university constituent colleges. Chartered private universities increased from 28 in 2024 to 32 in 2025, while public university constituent colleges rose from five to eight. At the same time, private universities operating under Letters of Interim Authority (LIA) declined from seven to three, after four institutions were granted full university charters.
Staffing Fails to Keep Pace with Rising Enrolment
Despite the expansion in enrolment, staffing has not kept pace with the rising student population. The report puts the number of academic staff at 16,434 in 2025, while non-teaching staff declined by 7.5 per cent, raising concerns over the capacity of universities to provide adequate teaching, administrative and support services.
The pressure is also reflected in the distribution of students across academic programmes. Education, arts and social sciences continue to attract large numbers of students, while STEM, engineering and agriculture remain comparatively under-enrolled. CUE warns that the imbalance could create a mismatch between the skills produced by universities and those required by the labour market, potentially contributing to unemployment in oversubscribed fields while leaving shortages in critical sectors.
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The report also paints a mixed picture of research and innovation in universities. Staff publications increased by 12.5 per cent to 6,018 in 2025, but staff innovations declined by 31.3 per cent, while student publications dropped by 25.1 per cent. Research output remains heavily concentrated in public and private chartered universities, with smaller and emerging institutions making a relatively limited contribution.
The report further identifies limited investment in digital resources, research facilities and ICT systems as a challenge to the adoption of modern learning approaches and the competitiveness of Kenyan universities.
Female enrolment continued to grow faster than male enrolment, with the number of female students rising to 325,985 in 2025, compared with 381,165 male students. The narrowing gender gap points to improving access for women, although the report notes that gender disparities persist in some academic fields.
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With the sector expanding rapidly, CUE says the focus must now shift beyond increasing access to strengthening the quality, relevance and sustainability of university education.
The report identifies staffing and infrastructure, STEM and technical programmes, research and innovation, digital transformation, gender equity and internationalisation as key areas requiring greater attention as Kenya’s university sector continues to expand.
By Lizzy Aluga
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