Commission for University Education (CUE) CEO Prof Mike Kuria.

📋 Breaking It Down

While universities in Kenya are expanding rapidly, new data from the Commission for University Education (CUE) shows a growing mismatch between what students are studying and the skills the economy needs.

The data shows that education, arts and social sciences dominate university enrolment, while science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) and agriculture remain under-enrolled.

Education and arts had the largest combined enrolment in 2025 with 132,039 students, followed by business at 103,742, education science at 61,369, social sciences at 31,818 and arts at 28,856.

📌 What You Need to Know

By comparison, engineering had 31,245 students, agriculture 23,245, information and computer technology 22,401, computer science 19,706, and mathematics and statistics 18,517.

The commission’s warning comes against a labour market increasingly characterised by demand for professional, technical and specialised skills. The Kenya Labour Market Information System’s latest data shows that professionals account for about half of advertised vacancies, indicating that employers are looking for people with specific skills rather than simply university degrees.

While universities continue to enroll large numbers of students in education, arts and social sciences, labour-market data points to strong employer demand for specialised skills in areas such as finance, sales, policy and planning, software development and technical services.

While universities continue to enroll large numbers of students in education, arts and social sciences, labour-market data points to strong employer demand for specialised skills in areas such as finance, sales, policy and planning, software development and technical services.

A separate survey by the Federation of Kenya Employers found that information technology was the most frequently identified career field in which employers reported skills demand, followed by finance and business management, engineering, and transport, distribution and logistics.

Within engineering, computer and software engineering accounted for the largest share of the skills demanded by surveyed employers, followed by electrical and electronics engineering, and mechanical and production engineering.

📰 Source: Nation Africa