| Kitale | |
|---|---|
|
Kitale
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Kenya |
| Province | Rift Valley Province |
| District | Trans-Nzoia District |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 220,000 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherengani Hills at an elevation of around 7,000 feet (2,100 m). Its urban population was estimated at 220,000 in 2007.[1]
It is the administrative centre of the Trans-Nzoia District, in the Rift Valley Province. The main cash crops grown in the area are sunflower, tea, coffee, Pyrethrum, seed beans and seed maize. Kitale is a market town for the local agricultural area and is known for the Kitale Museum and an agroforestry centre. Saiwa Swamp National Park lies near the town.
The town was founded in 1908 by white settlers. A branch line of the Uganda Railway from Eldoret reached Kitale in 1926 which promoted growth of the town. Kitale is among the most diverse towns in the country.
The National Museum of Western Kenya is located at Kitale. It is a natural history museum and was originally created by Lt Col. Hugh Stonehouse in 1926.[2]
| Climate data for Kitale | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
27 (80) |
24 (76) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
23 (74) |
24 (76) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
26 (78) |
25.3 (77.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 11 (52) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
13 (56) |
13 (55) |
12 (54) |
12 (53) |
12 (53) |
12 (53) |
12 (53) |
12 (53) |
12 (53) |
12.0 (53.7) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 15 (0.6) |
46 (1.8) |
79 (3.1) |
137 (5.4) |
165 (6.5) |
117 (4.6) |
147 (5.8) |
163 (6.4) |
104 (4.1) |
84 (3.3) |
56 (2.2) |
28 (1.1) |
1,140 (44.9) |
| Source: Weatherbase [3] | |||||||||||||