Kenya’s top universities are trailing regional rivals in the latest global rankings by Times Higher Education, with the University of Nairobi placed in the 1,601–1,800 band and Kenyatta University in the 1,801–2,000 bracket.
The two are the only Kenyan universities featured in the 2027 global rankings, released on Wednesday, with UoN remaining the country’s highest-ranked institution.
Both universities were in the 1,501+ band in the 2026 edition. UoN has now dropped to the 1,601–1,800 band and Kenyatta University in the 1,801–2,000 band, although the comparison is complicated by the introduction of a more detailed banding system this year.
The latest rankings, released yesterday have introduced a new banding system, making direct comparisons with last year’s positions less straightforward. Times Higher Education said the 2027 edition has 18 bands, up from 11 last year, with individual ranks now extending to 300 before universities are grouped into increasingly wider bands.
The University of Nairobi remains Kenya’s highest-ranked institution, but its position puts it well behind Uganda’s Makerere University, which is in the 801–1,000 band.
The University of Nairobi entrance.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“Tanzania fields the next most universities, three, led by Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in the 1,601-1,800 band. Botswana, Kenya and Uganda each have two representatives. The highest ranked of those is Uganda’s Makerere University in the 801-1,000 band. The highest ranked institution in Kenya is the University of Nairobi, which sits in the 1,601-1,800 band. Kenya has two universities in the rankings, compared with three in Tanzania, five in Ghana, 17 in South Africa and 29 in Nigeria,” reads the report.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, 69 universities from 16 countries have made the 2027 rankings, an increase from 55 universities from 14 countries in the previous edition.
South Africa remains the region’s strongest performer, with the University of Cape Town returning to the global top 150 at joint 147th position. The University of Witwatersrand follows in the 301–325 band, while Stellenbosch University is in the 326–350 band.
The top 10 universities globally are University of Oxford (UK), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) Princeton University (US) and Stanford University (US) tie at number 3, University of Cambridge (UK), Harvard University (US), California Institute of Technology (US), Imperial College London (UK), while the University of California, Berkeley (US) tie with Yale University (US).
Nigeria is the most represented African country, with 29 institutions, including Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos, all ranked in the 801–1,000 band. Ghana has five institutions, with the University of Cape Coast and University of Ghana also in the 801–1,000 band.
The rankings assess research-intensive universities across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
Times Higher Education uses 17 performance indicators grouped into five areas — teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
The main entrance to Kenyatta University along Thika Superhighway.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
The indicators include research volume, research income, research reputation, citation impact, research excellence, international staff and students, research links and industry income and patents.
Teaching reputation is the highest-weighted metric under the teaching category and is based on THE’s Academic Reputation Survey conducted between November 2025 and February 2026.
The chief global affairs officer, Phil Baty, said Africa was increasing its presence in global higher education.
“Africa is a growing force in the geopolitics of knowledge, and its universities are earning a growing presence on the world stage,” Mr Baty said.
“Africa south of the Sahara not only has a university back in the world top 150, it has more institutions represented on the global stage in the elite university rankings than ever before (69, up from 55), from more nations (16) than ever,” he said.
The University of Nairobi’s position is also significantly below the top-performing African universities. The University of Cape Town is ranked joint 147th globally, while five South African universities feature in the global top 500.
For Kenya, the latest rankings put renewed focus on the performance of its leading universities at a time when other African institutions are expanding their presence in global rankings.
The rankings cover 2,297 institutions globally across 118 countries and territories. The University of Oxford retained the number-one position for the 11th consecutive year.
