Public · Nairobi

University of Nairobi (UoN)

Kenya's oldest and top-ranked public university offering Medicine, Law, Engineering, and Business in Nairobi.

Established

1956

70 years running

Students

86,000

Enrolled student body

Employment rate

89%

Graduate employment

Annual fees

Ksh 16,000 to Ksh 150,000

Tuition range per year

The institution

Who they are, how big, and how they rank.

About

Established in 1956 as the Royal Technical College of East Africa and chartered in 1970 as Kenya's first national university, the University of Nairobi (UoN) is Kenya's oldest, largest, and highest-ranked public university. Located along University Way in Nairobi, UoN serves over 84,000 students across nine campuses across the country.

The university is organised into six colleges, Architecture and Engineering, Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, Biological and Physical Sciences, Education and External Studies, Health Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences, offering disciplines from Medicine and Law to Engineering, Computing, and African Studies. Campuses span Chiromo, Lower Kabete, Kikuyu, Kenyatta National Hospital, Parklands, Mombasa, and Kisumu.

Accredited by CUE, the Engineering Board of Kenya (EBK), and the Council of Legal Education (CLE), UoN ranks number one nationally. Notable alumni include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, making it the premier institution for Kenya's political, scientific, and business leaders.

The numbers

Student to staff: 1:18
Chartered: 1970
Scholarships: Offered

Research and innovation

UoN leads Kenya in research volume, producing over 2,000 peer-reviewed publications annually. The Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID) and the Institute of Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA) drive breakthroughs in infectious disease surveillance and climate resilience, while the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies advances sustainability research. Collaborations with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the University of Leeds (UK), and the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) amplify its impact on national health policy and food security. The Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (CEBIB) and the Population Studies and Research Institute further anchor UoN's interdisciplinary output, ensuring research translates into community-level solutions across Kenya and the wider East African region.

Accredited by

4 regulatory bodies

League tables and rankings

#1 in Kenya (uniRank 2026)

What they teach

Faculties, departments and the programmes on offer.

Admission requirements

A C+ mean grade is the minimum for a Bachelor's degree; competitive programmes (medicine, engineering, law, nursing, architecture) require higher grades and specific KCSE subject clusters. Master's programmes require a relevant Bachelor's degree; PhD programmes a relevant Master's degree.

Intakes

January
May
September

Schools and faculties

6 in total

College of Architecture and Engineering (CAE)
Main Campus
College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences (CAVS)
Lower Kabete Campus
College of Biological and Physical Sciences (CBPS)
Chiromo Campus
College of Education and External Studies (CEES)
Kikuyu Campus
College of Health Sciences (CHS)
Kenyatta National Hospital Campus
College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)
Main Campus

Courses offered

778 programmes

Campus and beyond

Where you would be, and who they are connected to.

Campuses

Main Campus
Main campusNairobi
University Way, Nairobi CBD
Chiromo Campus
Nairobi
Chiromo, Nairobi (CBPS)
Lower Kabete Campus
Nairobi
Off Kapenguria Road, 15 km NW of Nairobi (CAVS)
Kikuyu Campus
Kiambu
Kikuyu Town (CEES)
Kenyatta National Hospital Campus
Nairobi
KNH, Nairobi (CHS)
Parklands Campus
Nairobi
Parklands, Nairobi (School of Law)
Kenya Science Campus
Nairobi
Ngong Road, Nairobi (CEES)
Mombasa Campus
Mombasa
Mombasa
Kisumu Campus
Kisumu
Kisumu

On campus

Jomo Kenyatta Memorial Library (JKML) system with 2+ million print volumes and global digital journals
Kenyatta National Hospital College of Health Sciences Teaching Complex with specialized clinical labs
Chiromo Science Campus Advanced Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and Physical Sciences Laboratories
Harry Thuku Engineering Workshops and Fabrication Laboratory for mechanical and civil testing
Taifa Hall and 8 Auditoriums for national public lectures, symposia, and cultural performances
Extensive Halls of Residence accommodating over 12,000 students across 6 college campuses
UoN Sports Complex featuring FIFA-standard pitch, Olympic track, basketball and tennis courts
24/7 University Health Services with outpatient clinic, pharmacy, and ambulance emergency response

Notable alumni

5 verified

Dr. William Ruto
President of the Republic of Kenya
Graduated with a BSc in Botany and Zoology (1990), MSc in Plant Ecology (2011), and a PhD in Plant Ecology (2018) from the University of Nairobi.
Prof. Wangari Maathai
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate & Environmentalist
First African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (2004); earned her PhD in Veterinary Anatomy from UoN in 1971, becoming the first woman in East and Central Africa to attain a doctorate.
James Orengo
Governor of Siaya County & Senior Counsel
Earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Nairobi (1974), serving as President of the Student Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU).
Dr. Willy Mutunga
Former Chief Justice of Kenya
Obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB, 1971) and Master of Laws (LLM, 1974) from the University of Nairobi before spearheading judicial reforms as Kenya's Chief Justice.
Musalia Mudavadi
Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya
Earned his Bachelor of Arts in Land Economics from the University of Nairobi (1984) before embarking on an extensive public service and ministerial career.

International partnerships

4 institutions

University of Cambridge
United KingdomDoctoral Research & Academic Exchange
Bilateral research collaboration under the Cambridge-Africa Programme fostering doctoral scholarships, joint climate science initiatives, and infectious disease surveillance.
African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)
Pan-AfricanCentres of Excellence Network
UoN hosts the ARUA Centre of Excellence for Non-Communicable Diseases, mobilizing research grants and post-doctoral fellowships across top African research universities.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program
United StatesPostgraduate Fellowships
Administered in collaboration with the US Department of State, facilitating graduate scholarships and visiting scholar exchanges across leading American universities.
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
DenmarkEngineering & Renewable Energy
Collaborative research on wind and solar power grid integration, clean water access technologies, and climate adaptation in East Africa.