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🎓 Top Research Universities in Kenya

Universities and colleges in Kenya ranked by the total citations their research has received (OpenAlex).

📅 2026📏 citations50 entries🇰🇪 See all of this country’s rankings →
Every dot is one entry, placed by its value (citations, logarithmic scale); the vertical bar marks each row’s median.
1
University of Nairobi28,773 papers
957,844
2
Moi University8,389 papers
239,248
3
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology14,936 papers
211,385
4
Kenyatta University12,744 papers
198,523
5
Egerton University5,840 papers
139,404
6
Aga Khan University Nairobi3,114 papers
97,795
7
Maseno University4,350 papers
68,855
8
University of Eldoret2,493 papers
32,023
9
Pwani University2,184 papers
31,457
10
University of Embu1,378 papers
28,233
11
Technical University of Kenya2,537 papers
26,913
12
Strathmore University2,766 papers
25,081
13
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology2,070 papers
24,971
14
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology3,433 papers
24,693
15
Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation1,440 papers
18,978
16
Mount Kenya University3,321 papers
17,560
17
South Eastern Kenya University1,305 papers
15,951
18
Dedan Kimathi University of Technology1,396 papers
14,532
19
Technical University of Mombasa1,256 papers
13,494
20
United States International University Africa1,522 papers
12,733
21
Karatina University1,045 papers
11,181
22
Chuka University1,448 papers
10,133
23
Kisii University2,139 papers
9,354
24
Maasai Mara University984 papers
9,325
25
Great Lakes University of Kisumu310 papers
9,166
26
Meru University of Science and Technology1,035 papers
9,043
27
University of Kabianga992 papers
8,038
28
Catholic University of Eastern Africa2,016 papers
7,511
29
Kenya Methodist University1,437 papers
6,400
30
Kenya Medical Training College442 papers
5,936
31
Machakos University645 papers
5,614
32
Taita Taveta University504 papers
4,586
33
Tom Mboya University College311 papers
4,537
34
Kabarak University1,335 papers
4,492
35
Daystar University797 papers
4,389
36
Murang'a University of Technology713 papers
3,287
37
Bomet University258 papers
2,936
38
Rongo University846 papers
2,890
39
Laikipia University614 papers
2,839
40
Kaimosi Friends University489 papers
2,769
41
Kibabii University1,035 papers
2,663
42
St. Paul's University874 papers
2,603
43
KCA University496 papers
2,581
44
Multimedia University of Kenya456 papers
2,580
45
University of Eastern Africa, Baraton352 papers
2,283
46
Tangaza University512 papers
2,194
47
Kirinyaga University479 papers
2,079
48
Amref International University265 papers
1,616
49
The Co-operative University of Kenya347 papers
1,555
50
Africa Nazarene University282 papers
1,259

Highlights

Within Kenya, University of Nairobi ranks first in 2026 with 957,844, followed by Moi University (239,248) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (211,385).

University of Nairobi is 4 times higher than Moi University, the runner-up.

Across 50 entries, values run from 957,844 (University of Nairobi) to 1,259 (Africa Nazarene University), with a median of 9,105.

Source: OpenAlex, citations received by each institution's papers, 2026. Unit: citations.

Source: OpenAlex, citations received by each institution's papers · CC0 1.0 (OpenAlex) · fetched Oct 13, 2026 — Counts every citation to papers by authors affiliated with the institution, so large and old universities score high. It measures research impact, not teaching quality.