Kenya's higher education system is facing concerns over producing the right mix of skills required by a changing economy. The University Statistics Report 2025 reveals a significant imbalance in programme enrolment, with education, arts, and social sciences attracting large numbers of students while STEM, engineering, and agriculture remain comparatively under-enrolled. This trend may create a mismatch between graduate output and labour-market needs.
The Commission for University Education warns that the continuing shift away from science and engineering could leave the graduate pipeline out of alignment with national development priorities. In 2025, Education Arts had 132,039 students, making it the largest programme domain, followed by Business with 103,742 students, and Education Science with 61,369 students. Social sciences had 31,818 students and arts 28,856, while engineering had 31,245 students, agriculture 23,245, Information and Computer Technology 22,401, and Computer Science 19,706.
The report shows that 124,912 students graduated in 2025, compared with 123,928 in 2024. Education remained the dominant field, producing 37,817 graduates, equivalent to 30.3 per cent of the total, up from 34,156 or 27.6 per cent in 2024. The three education sub-domains collectively accounted for 34.6 per cent of all graduates in 2025. This growth in education output is partly linked to persistent public-sector demand for teachers.
On the other hand, some science disciplines recorded declines. Physical and related sciences fell by 1,061 graduates, Mathematics and Statistics by 454, while Humanities declined by 477 and Biological and Related Sciences by 375. The report notes that these changes resulted in a concentrated loss of more than 2,300 science and mathematics graduates in one year. However, Computer Science and Networking recorded growth but produced a combined 3,834 graduates.
The report recommends a rethink of how students are guided into university programmes. It suggests stronger career guidance in secondary schools and universities, increased internships and industry partnerships, practical learning components, and targeted scholarships, subsidies, or other incentives for under-enrolled but nationally critical disciplines. The report also recommends regulating admissions in oversubscribed programmes such as education and the arts to prevent graduate oversupply.
Female students remain strongly represented in education, humanities, and social sciences, while men dominate engineering, computing, and other technical disciplines. The report recommends mentorship, scholarships, and career guidance to encourage greater female participation in STEM and technical fields. However, the report does not provide independent employer or graduate-tracer evidence to establish the actual scale of unemployment or skills shortages.
The Commission for University Education acknowledges that its reliance on UEMIS means the findings cannot be triangulated against employer surveys, graduate tracer studies, or national examinations data. The report's recommendations aim to address the skills mismatch and ensure that the graduate pipeline aligns with national development priorities.
Key points
- The University Statistics Report 2025 reveals a significant imbalance in programme enrolment.
- The Commission for University Education warns of a potential mismatch between graduate output and labour-market needs.
- The report recommends stronger career guidance and regulating admissions in oversubscribed programmes.
