University of Nairobi graduands during the 75th Graduation Ceremony on September 18, 2026. /UoNWomen are closing the gender gap in Kenya's universities, but the gains have yet to translate into balanced participation across science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
The Commission for University Education (CUE) University Statistics Report 2025 shows female university enrolment grew by 16.9 per cent between 2024 and 2025, compared with a 9 per cent increase among male students.
The number of female students rose from 278,812 to 325,985, while male enrolment increased from 349,619 to 381,165.
As a result, women accounted for 46.1 per cent of the 707,150 university students in 2025, up from 44.4 per cent in 2024.
The male share fell from 55.6 per cent to 53.9 per cent. The report describes the trend as a gradual movement towards gender parity in university education.
"The increasing participation of women in higher education is a positive indicator of progress toward gender equity, economic empowerment and women's involvement in professional leadership," the repoet said.
However, the overall gains mask substantial differences in the courses chosen by male and female students.
CUE's analysis of enrolment by programme domain shows that women remain concentrated in education, humanities, social sciences, communication, nursing and other care-related disciplines, while men dominate engineering, computing, technology and several other technical fields.
Engineering recorded one of the widest disparities, with 24,529 male students compared with 6,715 female students — nearly four male students for every woman.
Information and Computer Technology had 16,293 male students against 6,106 female students, while Computer Science had 14,298 male students compared with 5,407 female students.
The imbalance also extended to Architecture and Built Environment, where there were 5,929 male students and 2,160 female students.
Mathematics and Statistics had 12,142 male students against 6,370 female students, while Physical and Related Sciences recorded 6,334 male students compared with 2,674 female students.
Other fields with clear male dominance included Veterinary Studies, Security Services, Computer Systems, Networking and Telecommunications, and Manufacturing and Production.
In contrast, women outnumbered men in several fields, including Education Arts, where there were 74,675 female students against 57,356 males.
Women also had higher enrolment in Education (Other), Social Sciences, Nursing, Mass Communication and Journalism, Languages, Behavioural Sciences, Personal Services and Rehabilitation Therapies.
Some disciplines, however, are moving closer to gender parity, suggesting that the overall expansion of women's participation is beginning to extend beyond traditionally female-dominated fields.
CUE says the persistent disparities highlight the need for targeted interventions to encourage more women into STEM and technical disciplines.
The report proposes measures including mentorship, scholarships, career guidance and supportive learning environments to address the imbalance.
The gender divide is also visible at postgraduate level. While women's participation in master's programmes is approaching parity with men, doctorate enrolment remained male-dominated in 2025.
Doctoral enrolment stood at 4,750 men and 3,426 women, although the overall number of students pursuing doctorates fell from 8,666 in 2024 to 8,180 in 2025.
CUE says the latest enrolment patterns show that improved access to university education has not eliminated gender segregation by field of study, making the next challenge not simply getting more women into universities but widening their participation in technical and STEM disciplines.
