Criminology is one of the courses you can pursue in Kenya. Entry grade can be as low as C+ for the degree course. The course is also available for diploma students. One thing I have observed is that the course is not as marketable as it used to be few years ago.
With a degree in Criminology, you can work for security firms, audit firms, ministry of defence, ministry of security, police and KDF. NGOs can also employ you. But the jobs being advertised are few and won’t absorb all the graduates.
Looking at security firms, they don’t usually employ graduates. They prefer certificate and diploma holders. This means that degree holders have low chances of being employed.
In a scale of 1-100%, degree in criminology graduate will have 20%-30% chances of being employed in Kenya. This means that if you graduate with this course, you might be jobless forever.
The only way to get employed is by pursuing a professional course on top of the degree. You can pursue Certified Fraud Examiner. Then get a job in the insurance sector, audit firm or NSE. You can also be employed by banks.
Another strategy to use is by pursuing Masters and PhD course. After graduating with PhD, you will then seek employment as a lecturer.
Salaries of Criminology graduates in Kenya
If you get employed by a security firm like G4S or BM Securities, you will earn Ksh 30,000 to Ksh50,000 starting salary as a graduate. With a Diploma course, you will earn Ksh15,000 to Ksh24,000 starting salary. If recruited for the position of Graduate Trainee, you will earn Ksh35,000 to Ksh45,000 starting salary.
If you join the police, your starting salary will be Ksh 20,000 to Ksh30,000 per month. As you grow, your salary will also grow. With at least 10 years of experience, you will earn more than Ksh40,000 monthly.
If you join KDF,your starting salary will be Ksh 25,000 to Ksh 35,000 per month. Upon graduation from the training school, you will be earning over Ksh50,000 monthly. Cadets earn the highest amount of money.
Courses which are better than Criminology in Kenya
Nursing, Quantity Surveying, Pharmacy, Medicine, Architecture, Structural Engineering, IT, computer engineering, computer science and software engineering are better than Criminology. Even Bachelor of Education is better than Criminology.
Best universities to study criminology in Kenya
- KCA University—At least C+ in KCSE
- University of Nairobi—At least C+ in KCSE
- Zetech University—Diploma in Criminology
- Kibabii University-Certificate in Criminology(Mean Grade D+ in KCSE)
- Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development—Certificate in Criminology(At least C- in KCSE)
- St Paul’s University—Diploma in Criminology(C- in KCSE)
- Maseno University—Bachelor of Arts in Criminology
- Chuka University–Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Security Studies(At least C+ in KCSE)
- Maasai Mara University—Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Penology(At least C+ in KCSE)
- Technical University of Kenya—Diploma in Criminology and Security Studies(At least C- in KCSE)
- University of Embu—Diploma in Criminology & Security Management(At least C- in KCSE)
- Kenya Methodist University—Bsc. Criminology & Security Management(At least C+ in KCSE)
- USIU—Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Studies(At least C+ in KCSE)
