About Us

Established in 1970, the Department of Agricultural Economics is one of the four Departments comprising the Faculty of Agriculture at the Upper Kabete Campus of the University of Nairobi.We are located at the 8:4:4 building off Kapenguria road 15 kilometres to the North West of downtown Nairobi.

The department began by training postgraduate students at the master’s degree level (MSc. Agricultural Economics) in the 1970’s and servicing courses in the Faculty of Agriculture and that of Veterinary Medicine. Due to public demand for students trained in the Department, market-driven undergraduate programmes were introduced in the early 2000’s. 


Currently, the Department offers three undergraduate degree programs over a four-year period;

  • Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management and
  • Bachelor of Agricultural Education and Extension.
  • Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Economics Major)

In addition, the Department offers two Masters of Science degree Programmes and two Doctor of
Philosophy degree Programmes;

  • MSc. in Agricultural and Applied Economics
  • MSc. in Agricultural Information and Communications Management
  • PhD in Agricultural and Applied Economics
  • PhD in Agricultural Information and Communications Management

The Department is also in the process of mounting an additional two post graduate programmes;

  • MSc. in Sustainable Management of Operations
  • PhD. in Sustainable Management of Operations

The MSc programmes are structured over a two-year period while the PhD programmes are
designed to be completed in three years. Each academic year comprises two semesters.

Our post-graduate training emphasis the application of economic theory and ultra-modern empirical
methods in the resolution of problems affecting today’s agricultural sector and attracts a rich blend of international students from the Sub-Saharan region.

Our masters’ programmes are reputable and as a result, our graduates easily find job placements in the agri-food industry or PhD admissions throughout the world. Our PhD graduates are trained to become leaders in academia and in the research and development spheres.


The Department has a diversified academic staff of 10 members all trained to the PhD level and a support staff team of eight to ensure that the Department delivers its mandate. We continue to publish our cutting-edge research in reputable peer reviewed journals and contribute to the agricultural policy discourse in Kenya and beyond. We strive to be an international Centre of excellence for training, research, extension and environmental championship in order to realize sustainable and improved livelihoods for all.


Please feel free to explore our website and reach out with any feedback or clarification that you
may seek.


Dr. Jonathan Makau Nzuma, Chairman
j.nzuma@uonbi.ac.ke