Mombasa climbs 22 places in global startup ranking

Mombasa County has climbed 22 places in the global startup ecosystem ranking for 2026, moving to 894 from 916 a year earlier, while Nairobi slipped to 116 from 107, the latest StartupBlink Startup Ecosystem Report shows. Kenya as a country ranked 61st globally and second in Africa, a decline of three places from the previous year.

"The ecosystem is highly centralized: Nairobi's total score is more than 36 times that of Mombasa, indicating limited scale in secondary cities. Developing stronger secondary hubs remains a key structural priority," the report states, underscoring the concentration of startup activity in the capital despite Mombasa's improvement.

The report paints a mixed picture for Kenya's tech scene. Mombasa's upward movement—22 places year-on-year—signals progress for a coastal city that has traditionally trailed the capital on startup metrics. Yet Nairobi's drop, alongside the national fall of three positions, highlights slower momentum at the country level. The report notes Kenya "maintains clear leadership in Eastern Africa, with a total score 2.6 times that of second-ranked Mauritius, yet records −0.2% growth, down from 33.5% last year and the lowest rate in Eastern Africa."

Across Africa, South Africa leads the continent, ranked 52nd globally. The report lists the top African placements as:

• South Africa — 52 globally
• Egypt — 65 globally
• Cape Verde — 74 globally
• Tunisia — 84 globally
• Mauritius — 85 globally
• Ghana — 87 globally

Funding flows also illustrate regional dynamics. Kenyan startups raised Sh16.3 billion in the first half of this year, marginally down from Sh17 billion in the same period last year, according to Africa: The Big Deal. That places Kenya third in Africa for startup funding, behind Egypt — which attracted Sh42.3 billion — and Nigeria with Sh32.8 billion.

The contrast between Mombasa's gain and the broader metrics points to structural challenges. While secondary hubs can show sudden improvements in rankings through targeted initiatives, the large disparity between Nairobi's score and those of other cities suggests limited distribution of resources, talent and investment across the country. The 36-fold difference cited in the report quantifies that imbalance.

Practical implications are immediate for policymakers, investors and founders. Cities like Mombasa that register ranking improvements may become focal points for local incubators, talent retention strategies and municipal-level regulatory reforms aimed at sustaining momentum. For Nairobi, the drop in rank and the flat — slightly negative — growth rate raise questions about sustaining investor confidence and scaling startups beyond the capital.

Looking ahead, the report highlights the need to cultivate secondary hubs as a structural priority. If Kenya is to convert Mombasa’s rise into broader national gains, stakeholders will need to address the concentration of score-driving factors in Nairobi: infrastructure, access to capital, startup support networks and market connectivity. Progress on those fronts would be required to reverse the national ranking slide and close the large gap between the capital and other cities.