Best engineering course in Kenya [2024 update!]

Last updated on January 18th, 2024 at 08:01 am

Engineering is generally a good course but because there are several disciplines, you may be wondering what is the best engineering course in Kenya.

Now, as I have just told you, there are a couple of options when it comes to engineering courses in Kenya.

And because it is important you know about them before we proceed to speak about the best engineering course in Kenya (or the best engineering diploma courses in Kenya), here they are:

Table of Contents

Civil engineering

Civil engineers conceive, design, build, design, supervise, operate, construct and maintain infrastructure projects and systems in public and private sectors.

These include roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, systems for water supply and sewage treatment, and more.

Typical jobs for Civil engineering course holders

Survey/site civil engineer
Civil Works Engineer
Site Agent
Assistant Engineer
Building and Civil Engineering Trainer
Superintending Engineer
Project Engineer
Assistant Civil Engineer
Civil/Structural Engineering head
Structural Engineer
Civil Design Engineer
Civil Engineering Technician
Lead Civil Engineer
Project Manager

Agricultural engineering

Agricultural engineering is an area of engineering that deals with design, construction, and general management of farming equipment/machinery.

You’ll also be ensuring that there is no issue in irrigation systems and other agricultural systems (think of produce harvesting machines, pesticide spraying equipment, dairy technology, etc.)

It would be advantageous if you have an agriculture background if you’re thinking about this course.

Typical jobs for Agricultural engineering course holders

Maintenance technician
Irrigation and drainage engineer
Agricultural engineering trainer
Agricultural engineer (some county governments hire agricultural engineers)
Agriculture technician

Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering is concerned with the analysis, design, development/framing, installation and general maintenance/troubleshooting of moving parts.

Mechanical engineers also researches, develops, designs, manufactures, and maintains machines and other systems in a variety of fields.

Typical jobs for Mechanical engineering course holders

Mechanical engineer
Maintenance engineer
Plant engineer
Maintenance technician
Design engineer
Shift technician
Boiler technician
Service technician

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Electrical engineering

Electrical Engineering is an engineering branch that’s concerned with study, design, and ultimately the practical application(installation) of equipment, devices, as well as systems that use electronics, electricity, and electromagnetism.

You will also be performing tasks such as repairs (and solving emerging issues) on electrical products/systems.

Typical jobs for Electrical Engineering course holders

Electrical engineer
Technical manager
Supervisor – electrical maintenance
Electrical engineering assistant.
Electrical technician
Electrical engineering trainer
Electrician
Assistant electrician
Solar energy/electrical installer
Construction electrical engineer
Electrical /HVAC project manager
Electrical service delivery engineer
Field service sales engineer
Boiler technician

Electronic engineering

Electronic engineering is more like a sub-discipline/sub-branch of electrical engineering-It is differentiated by use of active components/parts, for example, semi-conductor devices to amplify and/or control the flow of electric current.

Note: In some institutions, the above two engineering courses are offered as one course referred to as electrical and electronic engineering. In fact, many companies will hire you if you hold either Electronics Engineering or an Electrical Engineering course.

Typical jobs for Electronics Engineering course holders

Electrical and electronics engineer
Electrical & electronics engineering trainer
Electrical/electronics test engineer
Electronics & communications engineer

Industrial engineering

Industrial engineering is another branch of engineering but this is generally concerned with managing and controlling manufacturing operations (to make things run better).

Typical jobs for Industrial engineering graduates

Industrial engineering executive
Manufacturing engineer
Head of engineering and technology
Engineering and technology assistant

Mechatronics engineering

Mechatronics is a unique multi-disciplinary field of engineering that teaches you the skillset you need in the modern, advanced auto (cars) manufacturing industry.

Apart from the auto industry, there are jobs in companies that use electro-mechanical systems (in manufacturing).

In addition, any company dealing with appliances that use mechatronic systems could hire you.

If you’re not aware, mechatronic systems control tons of appliances including washing machines, dish washers, rice cookers, automatic ovens, modern sewing machines…the list is endless.

But you need good grades to qualify to take this course- some universities only admit students with straight As in KCSE.

Typical jobs for Mechatronics engineering graduates

Mechatronic engineer
Service technician (mechatronic)
Maintenance engineer
Mechatronics/instrumentation technician

Telecommunications engineering

Telecommunications engineers usually install, maintain, and troubleshoot telephone systems (public and private).

They also keep maintaining, testing, and repairing telecommunications networks (Safaricom and Airtel have a huge network that has to be maintained continuously for you and me to be able to make calls with our smartphones, browse the internet, etc.)

For that reason, when studying telecommunications engineering, you will be taught skills such as installation (and management) of Mobile telephone Networks, Internet Protocol(IP), and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telecommunications systems.

Typical jobs for Telecommunications engineering graduates

Telecommunications engineer
IP NOC engineer
CNM engineer
Engineer – Telco and IT data center networks
Engineer–access transmission planning
IP core engineer
Network monitoring engineer

Automotive engineering

If you have a passion for vehicles and you dream of working in the auto industry-including vehicle assembling companies like Toyota Kenya and Automobile Dealers such as DT Dobie- this can be a good engineering course for you.

Overall, it’s one of the best engineering courses in Kenya (when ranked depending on availability of jobs) and it’s much more prestigious than traditional vehicle mechanic jobs.

Typical jobs for Automotive engineering graduates

Automotive technician
Automotive engineering trainer/ instructor
Workshop technician
Company mechanic
Vehicle electrician

Aeronautical engineering

Aeronautical engineers are the people who make aircraft (they also keep them flying).

From designing aircraft (and propulsion) systems to monitoring aerodynamic performance of airplanes, they handle everything that is essential to keeping air transport moving.

As an aeronautical engineer, you will also be handling other air-based systems including spacecraft (vehicles or machines that fly high in the outer space), satellites, missiles, and more.

Typical jobs for Aeronautical engineering graduates

Aeronautical telecommunications officer
Aerospace engineer
Avionics engineers
Flight test engineers
Rocket engineers
Flight systems test engineer

So, which is the best engineering course in Kenya?

Well, to be honest, it’s difficult to say that one engineering course is better than others.

That said, there are some engineering disciplines that seem to have more opportunities than others.

A good example is mechanical engineering courses in Kenya, electrical engineering, automotive engineering, and civil engineering….

The truth is a lot of companies, parastatals, and even a number of county governments keep hiring mechanical/ electrical/civil/automotive engineers at various levels so many diploma and degree holders in these fields do not ‘tarmac’ for as long as those with courses like agricultural or industrial engineering.

Another nice engineering branch is mechatronics engineering- the pay is awesome- though, as mentioned earlier, you need excellent KCSE grades to get a chance in local universities.

In a nutshell, nearly all engineering courses lead to good jobs even if you make take more time to get hired with some than others.

Best engineering course in Kenya: FAQs (Frequently asked question)

Which engineering has highest salary in Kenya?

As mentioned previously, mechatronics engineering is one of the best paying engineering courses in Kenya for entry level engineers.

The other engineering branch that pays better is aeronautical engineering (these guys earn good cash even though the jobs do not come very easily).

But it’s worth mentioning that you will still get good pay with almost all other engineering careers over time (salaries keep rising as you gain more experience).

Final words

As we wrap up, keep in mind that it’s best to have a diploma or degree qualification because you’ll qualify for more opportunities than when you just have a certificate in your favorite engineering course.

Besides, most employers favor graduates who are proficient in ICT so having a certificate in basic Computer Applications(as well as engineering-based ICT applications like AutoCAD) from an accredited institution is a plus.

Good luck in your engineering career.

PS: There are some new engineering courses ,for example, Biosystems Engineering (offered by the University of Nairobi) that you may consider. We shall be writing about their prospects after we finish compiling our data.