UoN Retains Top Spot Among Kenyan Universities in THE Rankings
UoN was placed in the 1,601–1,800 global ranking band, ahead of Kenyatta University (KU), which fell in the 1,801–2,000 bracket.
The University of Nairobi (UoN) retainS its position as Kenya's highest-ranked university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027. Photo: Eastleigh Voice.
By Robert Mutasi
The University of Nairobi (UoN) has retained its position as Kenya’s highest-ranked university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.
UoN was placed in the 1,601–1,800 global ranking band, ahead of Kenyatta University (KU), which fell in the 1,801–2,000 bracket.
The rankings released on Wednesday show that UoN remains the leading Kenyan institution among universities assigned an overall position in the global assessment.
UoN received an overall score ranging between 24.2 and 27.1. Its performance included a score of 16.0 for teaching, 14.4 for research environment, 40.4 for research quality, 22.5 for industry and 48.2 for international outlook.
KU recorded an overall score of between 20.4 and 24.1. The university scored 13.8 for teaching, 10.3 for research environment, 32.7 for research quality, 17.3 for industry and 54.9 for international outlook.
The figures show UoN recorded higher scores than KU in teaching, research environment, research quality and industry. KU, however, posted a stronger score in international outlook.
Neither UoN nor KU was assigned an exact position within its respective ranking band.
Times Higher Education introduced a broader banding system in the 2027 edition after increasing the number of institutions assessed. The latest rankings feature 18 bands, compared with 11 in the previous edition, making direct comparisons with some previous rankings more difficult.
Kenya’s performance also lagged behind some universities elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.
Uganda’s Makerere University was placed in the 801–1,000 band, making it one of the highest-ranked universities in the region. Tanzania’s Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences was placed in the same 1,601–1,800 band as UoN.
Kenya had two universities assigned overall rankings in the latest edition. In addition to UoN and KU, Kabarak University, Karatina University, Kibabii University, Laikipia University, Machakos University and Mount Kenya University were listed as Reporter universities.
Reporter status means an institution is included in the Times Higher Education database but does not receive an overall position in the main World University Rankings table.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, 69 universities from 16 countries were included in the 2027 rankings. This represents an increase from 55 universities across 14 countries in the previous edition.
South Africa remained the region’s strongest performer, led by the University of Cape Town, which climbed to joint 147th globally and returned to the top 150. The University of the Witwatersrand was placed in the 301–325 band, while Stellenbosch University ranked in the 326–350 band.
Nigeria had the largest representation in the African rankings, with 29 universities, while Ghana had five. Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos were among Nigerian institutions placed in the 801–1,000 band.
Times Higher Education Chief Global Affairs Officer Phil Baty said the growing number of African universities in the rankings reflected the continent’s expanding presence in global higher education.
The World University Rankings assess research-intensive universities using 17 performance indicators grouped into five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
The indicators include research reputation, research income, research output, citation impact, research excellence, international staff and students, research partnerships, industry income and patents.
At the global level, the University of Oxford retained the top position for an 11th consecutive year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was second, while Princeton University and Stanford University shared third place.
The University of Cambridge ranked fifth, followed by Harvard University in sixth, California Institute of Technology in seventh and Imperial College London in eighth. The University of California, Berkeley and Yale University shared ninth place.
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