Photo/Prof Simon Gicharu, Founder and Chairman, MKU
By James Wakahiu
editor@themountainjournal.co.ke
Mount Kenya University (MKU) has been ranked the fifth-best university in Kenya, 72 nd in
Africa and 3,203rd out of 14, 131 colleges globally in the 2025 rankings. The ranking, based on
research output, non-academic reputation and the impact of notable alumni, highlights MKU’s
strong academic presence in various fields.
According to EduRank, the university has produced 2,393 academic publications and received
8,435 citations, reinforcing its commitment to research excellence. In Liberal Arts and Social
Sciences, MKU ranked seventh in Kenya, with 1,867 publications and 4,962 citations.
In the medical field, MKU also secured the seventh position nationally and 3,874th globally,
excelling in public health, pathology and nursing research. The university’s strength in
Mathematics placed it sixth in Kenya, with notable contributions in statistics and actuarial
science.
MKU has also been ranked 11th in the country for Environmental Science, contributing to
research in geography, ecology and agricultural science. The institution also performed well in
business and economics, ranking sixth and eighth respectively, with research focused on
management, marketing and finance.
In the fast-evolving field of computer science, MKU was ranked ninth nationally, excelling in
machine learning, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Other notable rankings include
psychology (7th), biology (9th) and engineering (13th).
With this achievement, MKU solidifies its position as a leading private university in Kenya,
making significant strides in both academic and research excellence. The rankings are
determined by analyzing 872,000 citations received by 73,700 academic publications made by
63 universities from Kenya, the popularity of 149 recognized alumni, and the largest reference
database available.
Photo/The Alumni Plaza at MKU main campus in Thika town. PHOTOS;
courtesy
The University of Nairobi (Position 8 in Africa and 805 in the World) led the Kenyan
universities once again. It was followed by Kenyatta University (36th in Africa), Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology (50th in Africa) and Strathmore University (66 th in
Africa).
In Africa, the leading four universities are all from South Africa. They are the University of
Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Stellenbosch and the University
of Pretoria. Cairo University of Egypt took position five followed by Kwa Zulu Natal (South
Africa) and Makerere University (Uganda) in seventh position, ahead of the University of
Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the Kenya BioVax Institute Limited successfully hosted a Stakeholder Mapping
and Consultative Meeting at Lake Naivasha Resort, bringing together key players in vaccine
production, research, and public health.
MKU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi, commended the initiative, emphasizing its
role in fostering collaboration among stakeholders. He highlighted MKU’s active participation
in research led initiatives, led by Dr. Henry Yatich, the Principal, College of Graduate Studies
and Research, in fostering stakeholder interests alignment with the Biovax strategic goals in
vaccine production, research, and development. The stakeholder meeting which was attended
by MKU’s Dr. Bernard Kanoi, discussed among other issues the following;
The primary goals of the stakeholder engagement included mapping key stakeholders in the
biologics and vaccine sectors. The forum also identified strategic partnerships for vaccine
production and distribution and discussed the role of stakeholders in advancing public health
initiatives, identifying strategic partnerships for vaccine production and distribution.