Map of Mbale, Vihiga County, Kenya

Mbale is the administrative centre of Vihiga County, Kenya, with a population of about 60,000. It lies at 0.0821°N, 34.7214°E. Mbale is about 278 km (173 mi) northwest of Nairobi, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Kisumu, 21 km to the south.

Mbale at a glance

Where is Mbale?

• The 45th largest city in Kenya by recorded population.
• Located in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Close to the equator, so day length stays near 12 hours all year.

Cities near Mbale

• Kisumu — 21 km south
• Kakamega — 23 km north
• Mumias — 38 km northwest
• Kapsabet — 45 km east
• Bungoma — 56 km north
• Webuye — 58 km north
• Lugulu — 58 km northwest
• Homa Bay — 74 km southwest
• Eldoret — 78 km northeast
• Kimilili — 78 km north

Largest cities in Kenya

• Nairobi — 4,397,073
• Kakamega — 1,867,579
• Mombasa — 1,208,333
• Nakuru — 570,674
• Ruiru — 490,120
• Eldoret — 475,716
• Kisumu — 397,957
• Kikuyu — 323,881
• Thika — 251,407
• Naivasha — 198,444

Map of Kenya and all its cities →

Other places named Mbale

• Mbale — Eastern Region, Uganda

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.