The Universities of Embu and Murang’a have overtaken the Univerity of Nairobi (UoN) in the latest Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings 2024. The ranking, published by Time Higher Education on Wednesday, November 27, featured 129 universities across 22 African countries.
Locally, Embu University emerged as the best institution followed by Strathmore University, Mt Kenya University and the United States International Univerity (USIU) respectively.
In fifth place was Kibabii University closely followed by Murang’a and Kabarak Universities. The Univerity of Nairobi was ranked eighth locally with Kabianga University coming ninth followed by Lukenya Univerity at the tenth position.
The ranking was done based on several metrics including the financial stability of the institutions. Institutions that can provide a high-quality learning experience were ranked top.
Data collected showed whether the institution has the money to effectively deliver teaching, and the faculty-to-student ratio, which gives a sense of whether it has enough teaching staff to provide interactive learning.
“We also measured the skills-building that institutions provide, and their ability to equip students with the required tools to enter and be successful in the world of work. We also assess the more intangible benefits of education,” noted the publication.
"The metrics are grouped into five pillars: resources and finance; access and fairness; student engagement; ethical leadership (which is new); and Africa impact," the statement by the Times Higher Education read in part.
The methodology for the rankings was developed by the Times Higher Education’s data team in consultation with university leaders across Sub-Saharan Africa, under a project initiated by a consortium of African and international higher education organisations.
Overall, the Univerity of Johannesburg was ranked top after achieving a score of above 80 points followed by the Univerity of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand Univerity. All three universities are located in South Africa.
Other universities that featured in the top ten list included the Univerity of Global Health Equity and the Univerity of Rwanda which are both located in Ruanda.
The University of Ghana, Makerere Univerity in Uganda, Asheshi University, the Univerity of KwaZulu in South Africa and SMAD University in Somalia also emerged in the top ten list.
According to the publication, South Africa emerged as the country with the best universities with a score of 65 out of 100 followed by Ghana at 57 points with Kenya coming third with 54 points.
