Kakamega weather in May

In May, Kakamega sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 194 mm of rain across 26.9 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kakamega's 9th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kakamega's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
194 mm
26.9 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:37 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
70%
9th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Kakamega is human settlement.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kakamega reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Kakamega weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 16°9213.3125.5
Feb29° / 16°7311.9125.0
Mar29° / 16°14919.8124.5
Apr26° / 17°23526.8123.9
May26° / 16°19426.9124.1
Jun25° / 16°10521.9124.8
Jul25° / 15°9919.8125.3
Aug25° / 16°10620.7125.1
Sep26° / 16°10420.5124.9
Oct26° / 16°17125.3124.2
Nov27° / 16°20223.7124.3
Dec27° / 15°13618.2125.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21882
31882
41981
52080
62179
72278
82377
92476
102575
112773
122773
133070
143169
153268
163367
173565
183664
193763
203961
214060
224159
234258
244357
254456
264555
274555
284753
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kakamega gets around 194 mm of rain over 26.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 87% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
293
393
493
593
692
792
892
991
1091
1190
1290
1389
1488
1588
1687
1786
1886
1985
2084
2184
2283
2382
2482
2582
2681
2781
2881
2981
3080
3180

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12944
22953
32953
42953
52953
62953
72953
82962
92962
102962
112962
122962
132962
142971
152971
163961
173961
184951
194951
205941
216931
226931
237921
248920
259910
2610900
2710900
2811890
2912880
3013870
3113870

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:386:38
212.06:386:38
312.06:386:38
412.06:386:38
512.06:376:38
612.06:376:38
712.06:376:38
812.06:376:38
912.06:376:38
1012.06:376:38
1112.06:376:38
1212.06:376:38
1312.06:376:38
1412.06:376:38
1512.06:376:38
1612.06:376:38
1712.06:376:38
1812.06:376:38
1912.06:376:38
2012.06:376:38
2112.06:376:38
2212.06:376:38
2312.06:376:38
2412.06:376:38
2512.06:376:38
2612.06:376:38
2712.06:376:38
2812.06:386:38
2912.06:386:39
3012.06:386:39
3112.06:386:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kakamega?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kakamega for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kakamega in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Kakamega sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Kakamega in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kakamega peaks around March 15 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 16Jun 19UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Kakamega in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kakamega is worst in June — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJun 2177 µg/m³Apr 967 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr67Unhealthy
May69Unhealthy
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul76Unhealthy
Aug74Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct73Unhealthy
Nov77Unhealthy
Dec76Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kakamega?

Kakamega sits at 0.3°N, 34.8°E, 1,563 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Khwisero, 22 km away.

Topography around Kakamega

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kakamega.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kakamega has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m around an average of 1,521 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 395 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,020 m.

The land around Kakamega is covered by trees (62%) within 3 km, trees (59%) within 16 km, and trees (26%), cropland (26%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
135 m
16 km
395 m
80 km
2,020 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Khwisero 22 km · Mbale 23 km · Mumias 30 km · Webuye 35 km · Bungoma 38 km · Kapsabet 40 km · Kisumu 43 km · Lugulu 51 km

Kenya travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,363
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
28.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 593
Religion
Christian 86%Muslim 11%other 2%none 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kakamega (0.2842°, 34.7523°, elevation 1,563 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).