The University of Nairobi (UoN) has once again emerged as Kenya’s top-performing university after being ranked in five subjects in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2026.
UoN is the only Kenyan university featured across multiple subjects in the latest rankings, strengthening its position as the country’s leading comprehensive and research-focused institution.
The Times Higher Education rankings assess more than 2,300 universities worldwide across 11 subject areas, using 18 performance indicators that measure teaching, research, industry links and international outlook. Only universities that meet strict research and staffing thresholds are included, and in Kenya, only two institutions — the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University — made the 2026 subject rankings.
Strong performance across key subjects
In the 2026 rankings, UoN outperformed Kenyatta University in four subject areas: Business and Economics, Medical and Health, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The two universities were tied in Life Sciences, with a shared overall score range of 23.4 to 29.1.
UoN recorded its biggest improvement in Social Sciences, where it moved from the 801–1000 band in 2025 to the 601–800 band globally in 2026. Its score for Research Environment more than doubled, rising from 9.3 to 23.9, highlighting stronger research output, funding and academic reputation.
In Medical and Health, UoN maintained its position in the 601–800 band and remained the only Kenyan university ranked in this subject. The university posted a strong Research Quality score of 51.0, reflecting high citation impact and research excellence.
A major milestone in 2026 was UoN’s first appearance in the Business and Economics rankings, where it entered directly in the 801–1000 band. Its strongest performance in this category was in Research Quality, with a score of 38.1.
In Life Sciences, UoN maintained its global position in the 801–1000 band, tying with Kenyatta University and Uganda’s Makerere University. The scores showed steady improvement in research quality and industry engagement, underlining the university’s role in agricultural, biological and environmental research.
Areas needing improvement
The rankings also highlighted areas that need further investment. Kenyan universities, including UoN, were not ranked in six subjects: Arts and Humanities, Computer Science, Education Studies, Engineering, Law and Psychology. This points to a national need to strengthen research output and international collaboration in these fields.
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UoN’s performance in Physical Sciences declined, dropping to the 1251+ band in 2026 from the 1000+ band in 2025. However, some indicators improved, with Research Environment rising from 6.8 to 12.2 and Research Quality increasing from 13.7 to 18.5.
Regional and global context
Across Africa, South Africa’s University of Cape Town remains the continent’s top institution, with an overall score of 60.8, highlighting the performance gap between East African and southern African universities. In the region, Uganda’s Makerere University continues to be a strong competitor, outperforming UoN in Physical Sciences and ranking higher overall in Africa.
Globally, the subject rankings are dominated by universities from the United States and the United Kingdom, including Harvard, MIT, Oxford and Cambridge.
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