The 2026 uniRank listing has ranked 35 public universities in Kenya based on defined selection criteria as explained; the institutions included must be chartered, licensed, or accredited by the relevant higher education authorities in Kenya.

Eligible universities are required to offer at least three-year bachelor’s degree programmes or postgraduate master’s and doctoral degrees.

Further, it added that the universities must also deliver courses mainly through traditional, on-campus learning rather than distance education formats.

The uniRank ranking provides a structured comparison of public universities based on institutional eligibility and academic delivery standards within the national higher education system.

“List of 35 public Kenyan Universities ranked by the 2026 uniRank University Ranking and meeting the following uniRank selection criteria: being chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate higher education-related organization in Kenya, offering at least three-year bachelor’s degrees or postgraduate master’s or doctoral degrees, delivering courses predominantly in a traditional, non-distance education format,” uniRank noted.

Bottom 10 Public Universities in Kenya- UniRank Report

The bottom 10 public universities in Kenya’s 2026 ranking, starting from the last position, are as follows;

  • Alupe University
  • Taita Taveta University
  • Tharaka University
  • Kaimosi Friends University
  • Garissa University
  • University of Kabianga
  • Rongo University
  • Tom Mboya University
  • Multimedia University of Kenya
  • Laikipia University

These institutions were positioned at the lower end of the ranking based on comparative indicators such as academic visibility, research output, and institutional performance within the national university system.

From the ranking, top-ranked public universities in Kenya’s 2026 listing included the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Alupe, Taita Taveta, Tharaka and Kaimosi Friends University Details

Kaimosi Friends University is based in Kaimosi, Vihiga County, about 500 metres off the Chavakali-Kapsabet Road. It was chartered on 2 August 2022. The university has 5 schools and has expanded from its earlier roots in the Kaimosi education complex into a full public university offering a range of academic programmes.

About uniRank

uniRank is a global higher-education directory and search engine covering more than 14,000 institutions across over 200 countries, providing rankings and reviews of universities and colleges.

Its rankings focus mainly on web-based visibility and popularity indicators rather than academic research performance, making them non-academic in nature.

Institutions listed must meet basic criteria such as official recognition or accreditation, degree-awarding authority, and predominantly on-campus delivery of instruction.

The platform is commonly used for general comparison and institutional discovery, but it differs from research-focused systems such as QS and Times Higher Education due to its methodology.

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UniRank Reveals Bottom 10 Public Universities in Kenya
A photo of the University of Nairobi (UoN) students in a previous graduation ceremony. PHOTOUoN (X)