Nine local universities are among the 100 top higher learning institutions in the region, according to uniRanks, the world’s university ranking body.
The University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Strathmore University, and Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology are ranked the best in Kenya.
Mount Kenya University, United States International University Africa, Egerton University, Moi University, and Kenya Methodist University is also among top ranked Kenyan universities, in that order.
The institutions were carefully calibrated by indicators that measure their performances across four areas.
The universities were vetted according to teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.
The indicators also included institutions being chartered, licensed, or accredited by the appropriate higher education-related organisation in their respective countries.
In addition, the universities passed the mark for offering at least a three-year bachelor’s degree or postgraduate master’s or doctoral degree or delivering courses predominantly in a traditional non-distance education format.
The University of Nairobi was placed in the sixth position in Africa, behind South Africa’s University of Cape Town.
The University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria, University of Stellenbosch, and Egypt’s The American University of Cairo ranked top in Africa in that order.
Overall, the University of Nairobi ranks in position 924 worldwide, with South Africa’s University of Cape Town coming in position 236.
Harvard University still commanded the lead for six consecutive years.
For the other local universities ranked in Africa, Kenyatta University came in position 28 in the region and Strathmore University ranked number 42.
Kenyatta University of Science and Technology is ranked 49, Mount Kenya University is ranked number 51 and United States International University Africa put at position 65.
Egerton University is ranked number 81 followed by Moi University in the 82nd position while Kenya Methodist University came in position 97.
South African universities dominated the top ten Africa’s best with seven institutions.
Egypt has three institutions in the top 10 category with only the University of Nairobi listed in the best role among the Kenyan Institutions of Higher Learning.
Other top-ranking African academic institutions include the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Johannesburg, Alexandria University, University of Western Cape, Mansoura University, University of Ghana, Rhodes University, Makerere University, Addis Ababa University, Ain Shams University, University of Ibadan and University of the Free State Cadi Ayyad University.
Overall, South Africa had 19 universities among the top 100 ranked institutions.
Egypt has 15, Ghana with four as Algeria and Morocco each had 10. Mozambique has two universities ranked, Uganda and Ethiopia each has only one.
Nigeria has 11 universities listed. Libya, Senegal, Botswana,Mauritius, Rwanda, Zambia, Sudan, Eswatini, Malawi each have one university ranked.
