Kenya ICT Skills Gap: University Data Shows Few Study Computing
KENYA · TECHNOLOGY
Key Facts
- —What happened Kenya’s university regulator published new enrolment data showing few students take computing courses.
- —The numbers Information and computer technology drew 22,401 students in 2025, against 132,039 in education and arts.
- —The catch More graduates does not mean more hires, and employers still report technical roles they cannot fill.
- —Who it hits Firms hiring for software, data and cybersecurity roles that need people ready on day one.
- —Private response Company-backed fellowships now train small groups directly for the jobs employers describe.
- —What comes next Universities face pressure to add internships and industry input to their courses.
New university enrolment figures and a fresh employer study both point to the same Kenya ICT skills gap.
Kenya’s university regulator has published fresh data that puts the Kenya ICT skills gap back at the centre of hiring debates. Few students choose computing courses, while employers say graduates arrive without the practical skills they need.
What the Kenya ICT skills gap looks like now
The Commission for University Education released its University Statistics Report 2025 this month. It shows total enrolment rose to 707,150 students in 2025, a rise of about 12 percent.
Information and computer technology courses drew 22,401 students. Computer science drew 19,706, while education and arts together drew 132,039.
The commission warned that this pattern risks a mismatch between graduate output and labour market needs. It said oversubscribed fields could produce unemployment while critical sectors face shortages.
Engineering enrolled 31,245 students and agriculture 23,245. Business, by contrast, enrolled 103,742.
Female students made up 46 percent of the total, or 325,985 of those enrolled. The number of universities and constituent institutions grew from 79 to 83.
Employers say graduates are not ready
The commission also published a study on how employers view graduates. It found that graduates wait an average of 11.6 months for a first job.
Only 25.3 percent found work within six months. Another 13.3 percent waited more than two years.
Employers in that study pointed to weak communication, problem-solving, digital skills and workplace readiness. Lack of work experience was named as the leading barrier to employment.
The Federation of Kenya Employers found the same pull in its skills needs survey of 521 member firms. Information technology was the top field of demand, named by 28.4 percent of those employers.
That survey, published in 2023, also found one in five firms had vacancies they could not fill. Computer and software engineering led demand within engineering roles.
One employer in the study said a degree alone was not the test. What mattered was whether a graduate could do the work without constant supervision.
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Private training tries to fill the space
Employers and companies are building their own pipelines. Kenya Pipeline Company said this week that 30 percent of its first technology fellowship class had found jobs.
The Inuka Tech Fellowship, run with training provider Power Learn Project, took 30 people from more than 1,000 applicants. Fellows learn Python, machine learning, dashboards, automation tools and data storytelling.
The fellowship ran for six months and shaped its curriculum around what employers said they needed. Graduates are lined up for roles such as data analyst and business intelligence analyst.
Rachel Gathoni, who manages the KPC Foundation, said the gap runs both ways. Employers cannot find the right people, she said, while graduates say there are no openings.
Cybersecurity shows the same pattern. An industry report released in May found employers still struggle to fill security roles.
About 1,500 cybersecurity graduates enter the Kenyan market each year. That report named gaps in cloud security, threat intelligence, incident response and digital forensics.
It said Kenyan firms’ cybersecurity budgets were expected to reach 5 billion shillings (about US$38.6 million) in 2026. Currency conversions here use exchange rates of 24 September 2026.
The network grows faster than the workforce
Kenya’s connectivity keeps expanding. The Communications Authority of Kenya reported on 21 September that mobile subscriptions reached 88 million by the end of June.
Fixed internet subscriptions rose 32.4 percent over the year to 2.84 million. Fibre connections reached 1.57 million.
Private research firm Mordor Intelligence estimates Kenya’s ICT market at US$11.81 billion in 2026. That is an outside estimate rather than an official figure, and other researchers use different numbers.
Infrastructure has moved faster than the supply of people who can build on it. That contrast sits at the heart of the hiring problem.
Why this matters for business in Kenya
For firms hiring in Nairobi, the practical effect is time. A role that looks routine on paper can take months to fill, which delays projects and raises costs.
Companies that plan to expand here should budget for training, not only for salaries. Several employers now design their own courses because they cannot wait for the university system.
Smaller Kenyan firms feel this most sharply. They compete for the same shortlist as large employers, but with less room to pay above the market.
What is not known is how large the shortfall is in each role. Kenya has no regular public count of unfilled technology vacancies or of what firms pay to fill them.
It is also unclear how many trained graduates leave for work abroad. No current official figure tracks that outflow.
What to watch next
The commission wants stronger career guidance, more internships and closer ties between universities and industry. Those changes take years to show up in graduate numbers.
Watch the next enrolment figures for any shift toward computing and engineering. Watch too whether employer-led fellowships grow beyond small classes of 30.
Kenya still has one of the deepest technology markets in East Africa and a young workforce. The question now is how quickly training catches up with demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kenya ICT skills gap?
The Kenya ICT skills gap is the distance between the technology skills employers need and what graduates bring. Employers report unfilled roles while graduates wait months for work.
How long do Kenyan graduates wait for a first job?
A Commission for University Education study puts the average wait at 11.6 months. Only 25.3 percent find work within six months.
How big is Kenya’s ICT market?
Private research firm Mordor Intelligence estimates it at US$11.81 billion in 2026. That is an outside estimate, not an official government figure.
Sources: Reporting draws on the Commission for University Education, the Federation of Kenya Employers, the Communications Authority of Kenya, the KPC Foundation and Kenyan news outlets.
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