Top-performing students with As and Bs are increasingly enrolling in culinary courses rather than pursuing traditional university degrees. Others, already holding degrees in fields such as economics, are joining cooking schools to earn postgraduate diplomas to become chefs.
Laourine Muthoni, 20, had secured a university placement to study international relations. She chose culinary instead.
“For me, it aligned more with my interests and my long-term goals,” she says. She plans to work first as a professional chef, gain experience in reputable hotels and eventually explore opportunities abroad. “I want to travel the world and learn how diverse the culinary world is.”
For Collins Muenda, he had options to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in commerce, or do virtual-line data analytics and nursing, yet he enrolled for a culinary diploma.
“I want to pursue content creation in culinary, telling food stories in a cinematic way and professionally,” says the 21-year-old.
Collins Mwenda a culinary student at Kenya Utalii College practices food preparation on during a hands-on lesson in the teaching kitchen on February 24, 2026.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
Culinary schools have already started seeing the shift in career aspirations from non-traditional students.
Rose Njeri, the general manager at the Amboseli Institute of Hospitality and Technology, notes that academic performance is no longer a reliable predictor of whether a student will choose technical training. “Learners with straight As and strong B scores are applying for culinary courses in both the diploma and short courses,” she says. “Some do so during a gap year before university. Others opt out of conventional degree programmes aligned with their interests.”
Each year, the institution admits between 200 and 250 culinary students. Out of these, 25 to 30 students have scored C+ and above, a figure that has grown compared to previous years when the number of high performers was lower.
“The increase has been noticeable, especially last year. We are now working with a constant of around 30 high-performing students in each intake,” she says.
Ms Njeri notes that most of the learners are fresh from secondary school. “Of the roughly 250 students, about 230 come directly from high school, while only about 20 are students who are switching their careers and transitioning from other fields.”
Among those changing careers, those from business-related degrees form the majority.
She says today’s learners, largely from Generation Z, are looking for courses that allow them to train quickly and enter the workforce. “They want to come, learn and start. They are also risk-takers. Many graduates begin in formal jobs and later venture into business, opening cafés or restaurants, sometimes while still employed.”
Policy changes have also influenced entry standards. For example, the Higher National Diploma at the institution requires a C plus, equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree, allowing graduates to progress to university if they choose. “And with the Competency-Based Education system producing its first cohorts soon, where home science is part of the curriculum, institutions expect demand to grow further,” she adds.
At Utalii too
The trend is also seen at Kenya Utalii College.
“We have a total of 247 students, both taking culinary at different levels in diploma and certificate,” says Benard Amaya, the head of admissions at the institution.
Just like Amboseli, 98 per cent come directly from high school. “Among the 148 first-year diploma students, nearly half scored C plus and above,” he adds.
According to Mr Amaya, global opportunities are a major driver. “The cruise industry and overseas placements, including opportunities in Europe and the UK’s Jersey and Guernsey Islands, have heightened interest. In 2025 alone, 20 of our students were recruited by cruise lines.”
“We cannot even feed a quarter of the market. The demand is quite high,” Ms Njeri adds.
Utalii College is also seeing a trend of degree holders returning for practical skills. Students with backgrounds in ICT, education, environmental science, mechanical engineering and even law are enrolling in short culinary programmes.
“They have the degrees, but they want cooking skills,” Mr Amaya says.
Well-paying jobs
Both the students and parents now view the profession from a different perspective. Cooking is no longer seen as a traditional profession but as a specialised career. Globally, skilled chefs can earn up to Sh2 million, and even locally, more than Sh500,000.
“The labour market is favouring skills,” he explains. “Job prospects and placement opportunities are now the most important considerations for young people.”
Caroline Mwadime, 26, is one of the many who have secured jobs abroad. After completing a university degree in business administration, she pursued a culinary course and later discovered a Dubai-based company offering opportunities for pastry chefs on a cruise ship.
“To be honest, the payment locally is not good to match the long hours I stand in these kitchens,” she says. “But with my culinary arts certificate, I can be able to work even overseas and get paid well. With culinary, you’re not limited to one market. Once you get the training and exposure, you can move.”
More classes, newer entrants
Kenya Utalii College culinary arts chef Silas Onkware demonstrates food preparation techniques to students on February 24, 2026.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
As competition for spaces rises, the minimum entry is not the only thing colleges are now focusing on. “We do basic interviews to assess attitude, creativity and emotional intelligence, qualities considered critical in the industry,” the Kenya Utalii College official says, adding that due to the high demand, the college is in the process of expansion to other regions as well as offering evening classes.
Private institutions, too, are now entering the market, offering short courses in culinary. At Strathmore University, the Advanced Culinary Arts and Executive Home Management programme costs Sh45,000 for six weeks.
Boma International Hospitality College, which has been offering culinary courses since 2015, has also seen the number of students increase. “Previously, we used to enrol about 100 students per academic year. Since 2022, the number has doubled to 200,” says Samuel Irungu, the institution's principal.
“Each classroom can accommodate 40 students for theory sessions and between 17 and 22 learners for practical sessions,” he says.
The entry requirements remain C minus for the diploma and a D plus for the certificate, but they are receiving graduates who secured better grades and went to university.
“We also have students from commerce, information technology (IT) and engineering coming to pursue a diploma in culinary,” he adds.
