Kenyan education is definitely one of the best in the world, thanks to its education system.
Before the roll-out of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), Kenya used to have an 8-4-4 education system where a learner had to spend eight years in primary school, four in high school, and the other four in the university.
Once a student completes high school education, he/she is expected to join a university to pursue a course of his liking and interests. There are over 50 Kenyan universities and the student can join to pursue the course.
Out of the 50 universities, 23 are public institutions that offer various world-class courses.
Here are some of the top public universities in Kenya a student can join depending on the academic program he/she wants to pursue.
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is not only the oldest in the country but the best. For years it has been ranked one of the top Universities in Kenya and Africa as a whole.
Due to his high-profile stature, the university offers admission to both local and international students from various countries around the world. According to reports, there are over 40 nationalities presented that the institution.
Nairobi University offers competitive diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Located within Nairobi City, the institution allows for flexibility more so for students who wish to have part-time classes as they juggle in the city doing other things.
The institution has produced some of the top leaders in Kenya including Deputy President William Ruto, late Prof Wangari Maathai, Senator James Orengo, and Willy Mutunga among others.
Kenyatta University
Just a few Kilometers from Nairobi City, you will find the prestigious Kenyatta University, a university that prides itself as the mother of innovation and inventions.
Found in 1985, Kenyatta University has grown to become one of the best universities in the country offering the best programs in performing arts, sciences and technology and fine arts.
Referred to as a city with a city, KU boasts a lot of facilities including one of the largest post-modern libraries in East and Central African and state-of-the-art teaching and referral and research hospital.
Apart from offering government-sponsored and self-sponsored programs, the university also offers full and partial sports scholarships to talented needs students.
Moi University
After Nairobi University, Moi University is the second oldest university in Kenya having been founded in 1984 – a year before KU was founded.
Located within Eldoret town, the university was named after Kenya’s second President Daniel Moi who also hails within the region.
The university prides itself as one of the universities in Kenya that produce the best engineers and lawyers.
Egerton University
The Nakuru-based university began as a Farm School in Farm School in 1939 under the British colony led by Lord Maurice Egerton of Tatton.
In 1950, the institution was upgraded as an Agricultural College that offered diploma programs. After several expansions and enactment between 1955 and 1979, the institution was gazetted as a constituent college of the University of Nairobi. It later became independent in 1987.
Having started as an agricultural college, the university still tops as the best agricultural institution in Kenya. Over the years, it has led major agricultural research projects in the country.
Maseno University
Located in the outcast of Kisumu city, Maseno University was founded in 1991.
Ranked among the top ten best public universities in Kenya, the university was ranked 2nd institution with the best medical and dental school in East African Community in 2020 by the joint inspection of new and existing medical and dental schools.
The university also prides itself as a technology institution since it offers all its programs with Information Technology (IT).
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)
Located in Juja, Thika, JKUAT boasts as one of the top universities in East and Central Africa.
The university officers various courses including art, sciences, business, and education programs.
It also prides itself as an innovation center with top technological ideas being invented in the university. Mpesa, a popular mobile money transfer service is said to have been invented by the university.
Within the university, there is an engineering assembling plant and a technology lab where digital devices that were used in Kenya’s 2019 national population censuses were assembled.
Other top public universities in Kenya include; Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University, Multimedia University, Technical University of Kenya, Technical University of Mombasa, and Kisii University among others.
