While universities in Kenya are expanding rapidly, new data from the Commission for University Education (CUE) shows a growing mismatch between what students are studying and the skills the economy needs.
The data shows that education, arts and social sciences dominate university enrolment, while science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) and agriculture remain under-enrolled.
“This trend risks creating a mismatch between graduate output and labour market needs, potentially leading to graduate unemployment in oversubscribed fields and skills shortages in critical sectors,” CUE said in its University Statistics Report 2025.
Education and arts had the largest combined enrolment in 2025 with 132,039 students, followed by business at 103,742, education science at 61,369, social sciences at 31,818 and arts at 28,856.
By comparison, engineering had 31,245 students, agriculture 23,245, information and computer technology 22,401, computer science 19,706, and mathematics and statistics 18,517.
The commission’s warning comes against a labour market increasingly characterised by demand for professional, technical and specialised skills. The Kenya Labour Market Information System’s latest data shows that professionals account for about half of advertised vacancies, indicating that employers are looking for people with specific skills rather than simply university degrees.
While universities continue to enroll large numbers of students in education, arts and social sciences, labour-market data points to strong employer demand for specialised skills in areas such as finance, sales, policy and planning, software development and technical services.
While universities continue to enroll large numbers of students in education, arts and social sciences, labour-market data points to strong employer demand for specialised skills in areas such as finance, sales, policy and planning, software development and technical services.
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A separate survey by the Federation of Kenya Employers found that information technology was the most frequently identified career field in which employers reported skills demand, followed by finance and business management, engineering, and transport, distribution and logistics.
Within engineering, computer and software engineering accounted for the largest share of the skills demanded by surveyed employers, followed by electrical and electronics engineering, and mechanical and production engineering.
CUE statistics show that of the 124,912 university graduates recorded in 2025, education accounted for 30.3 per cent, with 37,817 graduates, followed by business, administration and management studies at 19.4 per cent, with 24,194 graduates.
Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics recorded the steepest proportional decline, shedding 1,922 graduates in 2025 as their share fell from 8.9 per cent to 7.3 per cent. Engineering lost 622 graduates and agriculture lost 196.
“The graduate pipeline is drifting away from Stem toward service-oriented disciplines; the combined loss of 2,740 graduates across natural sciences, engineering and agriculture represents a compounding erosion of technical capacity,” CUE noted.
It added that the pattern risks moving university education away from the skills required to support national development.
To address the imbalance, the commission is calling for stronger career guidance in secondary schools and universities, greater use of internships and industry partnerships, as well as targeted incentives such as scholarships and subsidies to attract students to under-enrolled but nationally critical disciplines.
University enrolment increased from 628,431 students in 2024 to 707,150 in 2025. CUE said the rapid expansion makes alignment between academic training and employment opportunities increasingly urgent.
