In the recently published Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) university ranking, none of the Kenyan higher education institutions managed to secure a position within the top 100 list. The University of Embu, the leading university in Kenya, was placed at position 16 on the continental ranking. Other Kenyan institutions that made the list included Rongo University (25), Kibabii University (36), Kabarak University (42), University of Kabianga, Maasai Mara University, and Riara University. However, well-known universities like the University of Nairobi (UoN), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and Kenyatta University (KU) did not appear on the list.
It is worth noting that Ashesi University in Ghana, which conducted the research with support from the MasterCard Foundation, only ranked the universities that had provided data for the study. This meant that prestigious universities like UoN had not submitted their data, rendering them ineligible for the ranking.
The ranking, which assessed a total of 121 universities, utilized a methodology based on five key pillars: resources and finances, access and fairness, teaching skills, student engagement, and African impact.
Among the top 10 universities, South Africa claimed four spots, with the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg occupying the top two positions. Tanzania had two universities in the top 10, while Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana each had one representative.
According to the organizers, private universities in Sub-Saharan countries exhibited flexibility, efficiency, and a dedication to tracking their graduates’ progress. They emphasized that public and private higher education institutions in the region complemented each other in providing quality education for the masses.
However, Pauline Rose, Professor of International Education at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning Centre, expressed concern over the underfunding of these institutions. She highlighted challenges such as large faculty-to-student ratios, limited time and funding for research, and other resource constraints.
The top three universities on the list were the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science (Tanzania).
