Kakamega climate
Kakamega (Kenya) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C69 °F, and about 1,950 mm77 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kakamega climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2780 | 1458 | 2169 | 522.1 |
| Feb | 2984 | 1559 | 2271 | 491.9 |
| Mar | 2984 | 1660 | 2272 | 1285.1 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1661 | 2271 | 27511 |
| May | 2577 | 1661 | 2169 | 26010 |
| Jun | 2475 | 1660 | 2068 | 1736.8 |
| Jul | 2374 | 1559 | 1967 | 1596.2 |
| Aug | 2475 | 1560 | 2067 | 2017.9 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1660 | 2069 | 1887.4 |
| Oct | 2678 | 1660 | 2169 | 2007.9 |
| Nov | 2577 | 1560 | 2068 | 1746.9 |
| Dec | 2678 | 1458 | 2068 | 893.5 |
| Year | 2984 | 1458 | 2169 | 1,95077 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67% | 58% | 6.2 | 12:06 |
| Feb | 61% | 62% | 6.5 | 12:06 |
| Mar | 64% | 71% | 6.3 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 75% | 80% | 5.9 | 12:07 |
| May | 80% | 75% | 5.7 | 12:08 |
| Jun | 81% | 71% | 5.3 | 12:08 |
| Jul | 82% | 71% | 5.2 | 12:08 |
| Aug | 81% | 71% | 5.5 | 12:07 |
| Sep | 77% | 69% | 6.1 | 12:07 |
| Oct | 78% | 76% | 6.0 | 12:06 |
| Nov | 79% | 73% | 5.8 | 12:06 |
| Dec | 74% | 61% | 5.9 | 12:06 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Kakamega is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 16 °C60 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 23 °C74 °F and lows 15 °C59 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.2 °C5.7 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,950 mm77 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is April–June, which brings 36% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (275 mm11 in), the driest is February (49 mm1.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 61% in February to 82% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 58%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in June to 10 km/h (6 mph) in February.
Best time to visit Kakamega
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–February: average highs of 26 °C78 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 49 mm1.9 in to 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is May, which is very wet (260 mm10 in) and humid (80% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Kakamega weather by month
- January27 °C80 °F / 14 °C58 °F
- February29 °C84 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- March29 °C84 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- April27 °C80 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- May25 °C77 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- June24 °C75 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- July23 °C74 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- August24 °C75 °F / 15 °C60 °F
- September25 °C77 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- October26 °C78 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- November25 °C77 °F / 15 °C60 °F
- December26 °C78 °F / 14 °C58 °F
What to pack for Kakamega
- Wetter months (April–June, August–November) — highs 2475 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1560 to 16 °C61 °F, about 210 mm8.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (December–March, July) — highs 2374 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1458 to 16 °C60 °F, about 95 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Kakamega compares
Compared with Nairobi, about 288 km to the southeast, Kakamega is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F warmer and receives 224% more precipitation (1,950 mm77 in vs 602 mm24 in). The difference is largest in May (1.6 °C2.8 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in Kenya covered by World Climates, Kakamega is the 12th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Kenya climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Bello (Colombia, Af), Gisenyi (Rwanda, Am) and Pereira (Colombia, Af).
Nearby places
- Khwisero 22 km · 21 °C71 °F · 1,868 mm74 in
- Kisumu 43 km · 23 °C74 °F · 2,009 mm79 in
- Eldoret 63 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,950 mm77 in
- Kitale 86 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,846 mm73 in
- Kisii 107 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,747 mm69 in
- Mbale 110 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,668 mm66 in
- Nakuru 161 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,233 mm49 in
- Njeru 176 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,500 mm59 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kakamega?
March is the warmest month in Kakamega, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kakamega?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 23 °C (74 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kakamega?
April is the wettest month with about 275 mm (10.8 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 49 mm (1.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Kakamega?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–February.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,810 m, while Kakamega lies at about 1,563 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.6 °C2.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.