Kakamega in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Kakamega sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 301 mm of rain over about 43 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early December to 29°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Winter is Kakamega's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kakamega's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
28°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
16°C
Rainfall
301 mm
43 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
5.2
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Kakamega in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early December to 29°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Kakamega reaches about 28°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

10°15°20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

Kakamega weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Kakamega gets around 301 mm of rain over 43 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 6 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours in early December to 12 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 6.3 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Kakamega?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Kakamega for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kakamega in Winter

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

In winter, Kakamega sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 43 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kakamega in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 14 (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 Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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
Winter 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.