REVEALED: Shock of universities with less than 100 students

Shocking details have now emerged of universities and courses with fewer than 1,000 students.

According to a report by the Commission for University Education (CUE), some institutions are hosting fewer than 100 students, putting their existence in question. 

The 2024/2025 University Statistics Report by the CUE  shows that 14 institutions are running on what the report has termed ‘non-viable’ numbers, collectively enrolling just 7,088 learners.

At the very bottom sits Pioneer International University with a shocking 92 students, followed by International Leadership University with 240, Hekima University College with 165 and Uzima University with 366. 

Scott Christian University has 405 students, while the East African University has 593. 

The report compiled between March and August last year reveals that public universities, built with billions in taxpayer money, are also edging closer to the low enrolment zone.

Garissa University has only 2,765 students, Taita Taveta University has 2,625, and Alupe University has 2,619. The University of Embu, despite being a fully chartered public institution, has just 3,460 learners. 

The revelation now reopens the earlier debate on the viability of some of the universities and calls for university reforms.

In the report, the CUE has recommended that the government and stakeholders make tough choices. 

Options on the table include merging struggling institutions, encouraging smaller ones to reinvent themselves as specialised niche centres, and tightening the criteria for awarding and renewing charters. 

“The era of endless expansion is over. The future will not be about how many universities we have, but whether those that exist can offer quality and remain viable,” Prof. Mike Kuria, the Chief Executive Commission for University Education, said.

At the same time, the report revealed some of the courses that students are shunning, with Dental Studies attracting only 256 students across the country.

Fisheries has 305, and Law, the once a hotly contested field, has only 361 new entrants this year. 

However, the report has also crowned a handful of institutions that have become giants in size and enrolment.

Seven universities alone host 223,736 students, more than a third of the national total of 628,541. 

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology leads with 44,131 learners, followed closely by the University of Nairobi with 41,174 and Kenyatta University with 36,013. 

Mount Kenya University, the largest private institution, has 30,448 students, while Maseno University has 27,067, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology has 24,277, and Kisii University has 16,905. 

The report further reveals that the current student population in universities stands at 628,541 students in 2024.

Public chartered universities remain dominant, admitting nearly three-quarters of all learners at 469,688, while private universities take in 144,007.

Constituent colleges and institutions under interim authority account for just 2.5 per cent of students, with public university colleges like Bomet leading at 4,526 students and private affiliates such as Tangaza University College enrolling 1,337. 

The report also reveals Education Arts tops the list of the favourite university degree program with 104,747 students pursuing it.

It is followed by Business Studies with 94,491 and Education Science with 53,797. 

Technology-related fields such as Engineering, which has 29,727 learners, and Information and Computer Technology with 26,54learners4.

Dental Studies has just 256 students across the country, Fisheries has 305, and Law, once a hotly contested field, has only 361 new entrants this year. 

The bias in enrollment to education and business courses is a cause for alarm among policymakers, with CUE warning that other critical areas are missing out on attracting students and developing professionals.

“We are producing thousands of teachers and business graduates every year, while critical but specialised fields are starved,” Prof. Kuria said in the report.

The report also warns that the majority of graduates fail to further their education after acquiring an undergraduate degree.

This, the report warns, has undermined research and innovation efforts in many fields.

Of the 628,541 students, 577,345 are pursuing bachelor’s degrees. Master’s enrolment stands at just 40,959, while doctoral studies attract only 8,666 learners. 

Male students continue to outnumber female students, making up 55.6 per cent of enrolment compared to 44.4 per cent, with the gap even wider in technical fields.

The report further reveals that teaching staff increased to 15,383 in 2024, with the lecturer: student ratio of 1:44, meaning one lecturer for every 44 students. 

Private universities are better staffed, averaging one lecturer for every 34 students. 

Non-teaching staff stand at 21,993 nationwide, with the bulk concentrated in public universities.

The challenges are not only academic. 

CUE recorded 3,841 student discipline cases in 2024, with 87 per cent involving examination irregularities such as cheating and impersonation. 

Gross misconduct, theft, and drug abuse also featured.