Integrating Soft Skills into IT Education for Development: A Study of Universities in Kenya

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v13i2.2134

Keywords:

soft skills, IT education, Nairobi Metropolitan, curriculum reform, industry collaboration, pedagogy

Abstract

Despite widespread recognition of their importance, soft skills remain poorly integrated into IT undergraduate programmes across Sub-Saharan Africa. This mixed-methods study examined prevalence, barriers, and strategies for soft skills integration across ten Kenyan universities, grounded in Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Vygotsky's Constructivist Learning Theory. The findings reveal a stark recognition-provision gap: 87.2% of students consider soft skills essential, yet only 31.4% received formal training and 18.6% reported formal assessment. Five institutional barriers were identified — overloaded curricula, passive pedagogy, absence of assessment frameworks, weak industry-academia linkages, and no mandating policy — with inadequate faculty preparation as a cross-cutting constraint. Mentorship (79.53%) and curriculum integration (79.35%) were the most preferred strategies. No significant differences emerged by institution type or year of study. The study provided the first large-scale mixed-methods evidence base for this gap in Kenyan IT education, with direct implications.

Author Biography

Anne Njogu Wachira, Daystar University

Anne Njogu Wachira is the Director, Main Campus (Athi River) at Daystar University, Kenya, where she also serves as a Lecturer and Associate Dean-Resident Services. She holds a PhD in Education (Administration and Planning) from Catholic University of Eastern Africa, an MA in English Language Teaching from the University of Reading, an MEd in Management and Leadership from Mount Kenya University, and a Higher Diploma in Counselling Psychology from the Kenya Association of Professional Counsellors. She has more than 40 years of experience in teaching and administration, specialising in curriculum development, student support, and mixed-methods research. Her interests span language-learning motivation, feedback and assessment, reading and writing skills, and the acquisition of soft skills in university and higher-education settings. Email: awachira@daystar.ac.ke; anjowash@gmail.com (https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0671-2872)

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Published

2026-07-13

How to Cite

Wachira, A. N. (2026). Integrating Soft Skills into IT Education for Development: A Study of Universities in Kenya. Journal of Learning for Development, 13(2), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v13i2.2134

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026): ISSUE 2

Section

Case Studies

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Copyright (c) 2026 Anne Njogu Wachira

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Received 2025-05-26
Accepted 2026-05-13
Published 2026-07-13