University of Nairobi has maintained its position as the top-ranked institution in the most recent assessment conducted by Webometrics.
Concurrently, Mount Kenya University has seen a significant advancement of six places in the local rankings, securing a position among the top ten universities in Kenya for the first time.
Previously positioned at 16, the private university has made notable progress, now standing at the 10th spot on the list largely dominated by public universities. The University of Nairobi, a long-standing leader in the rankings, has retained its top spot.
Among the other institutions in the top ten are Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenyatta University, Egerton University, Moi University, Maseno University, Strathmore University, Technical University of Kenya, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
Prof Deogratius Jaganyi, the vice-chancellor, expressed, “The ranking is a testament to the university’s dedication to enhancing teaching, learning, research, and innovation.”
The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities is an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group affiliated with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Spain’s largest public research institution.
The ranking evaluates universities based on the quality of education provided and their research output, encompassing formal (e-journals and repositories) and informal scholarly communication. Notably, diploma mills and questionable institutions are excluded from the rankings.
In the African context, South African and Egyptian universities prominently feature at the top, with the University of Nairobi securing the 15th position. The Webometrics ranking encompasses over 20,000 universities globally.
On a global scale, American universities dominate the top positions, with only one British institution making the list. Notable institutions include Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford (UK), University of Michigan, University of California Berkeley, Cornell University, University of Washington, Columbia University New York, and University of Pennsylvania.
Simon Gicharu, the founder of Mount Kenya University, highlighted the institution’s focus on research initiatives such as the Centre for Malaria laboratory. The university’s commitment to training and research has had a positive impact on the community, reflecting the recognition of its efforts by researchers. This progress is attributed to collaborative efforts among staff and an inclusive leadership approach that encourages open dialogue.
The ranking parameters encompass impact or visibility (external networks linking to the institution’s webpages), transparency or openness (top cited researchers, number of citations), and excellence or scholar rank (top cited papers, number of papers published).