Divisi
When to plant Tobacco in Kenya
Known here as tumbaku
Tobacco is a tall, broad-leaved plant in the same family as tomato and potato, grown not for food but for its leaves, which are dried and cured, then sold by weight and grade.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 6 Oct 2026 – 26 Oct 2026 opens in 1 week | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 1.6–2.0 t/ha | about 3.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 4 Jan 2027 to 23 Feb 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 120–242 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 66% | |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 16 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Kenya leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 26 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kenya
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For tobacco in Kenya, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.
The 2026 season in Kenya
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,566 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 210 mm in the driest of 290 districts to about 2,002 mm in the wettest |
| Rainy seasons, district by district | Of 290 districts: one rainy season in 67 and two rainy seasons in 75 |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, February, October, November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.0 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 8 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 48% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 300 mm · October to December |
|---|---|
| 12% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 126 growing days · about 520 mm · October to January |
| 9% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 209 growing days · about 750 mm · September to January |
| 7% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 166 growing days · about 590 mm · October to January |
| 4% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 356 growing days · about 1,240 mm · December to December |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 286 growing days · about 900 mm · March to December |
| 3% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 241 growing days · about 760 mm · October to June |
| 3% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 237 growing days · about 770 mm · March to December |
last updated 16 September 2026 · from all 290 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 35% of yield here.
What tobacco needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 120 cm between rows, 55 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow tobacco in Kenya
| Planting material | About 16,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 74 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 22 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 120 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 120–242 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a tobacco crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Tobacco with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Kenya as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
Tobacco in nearby districts
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will tobacco grow well in Kenya?
Kenya rates as favourable for tobacco.
When should I plant tobacco in Kenya?
Typically 6 Oct 2026 to 26 Oct 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kenya, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
