Qibla · Kakamega County
Qibla direction in Khwisero
To face the Kaaba in Khwisero, turn to 13.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (13.2° east of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 2,430 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Khwisero should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 13.2°, the Qibla of Khwisero. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 13° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Khwisero
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 13.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 13.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 13° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Khwisero, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Khwisero to Mecca points to 13.5°, only 0.3° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 13.2° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 13.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Khwisero (0.1712° N, 34.5947° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Khwisero to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 2,430 km from Khwisero as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,755 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 22 min, although most pilgrims from Khwisero connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Khwisero run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Khwisero rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Khwisero
On 186 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Khwisero while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 1 April 2027 it happens at 12:42 local time.
On 179 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 13:08.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 13:08 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 13:12 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 13:12 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 13:08 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 13:01 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 12:53 |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:42 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:33 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:31 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:33 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:34 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 12:34 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 12:35 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 12:36 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:39 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 12:44 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 12:52 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 13:00 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Khwisero: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Khwisero compared with other cities
Compared with Nairobi, 295 km away, the Qibla in Khwisero is turned 6.0° further clockwise (13.2° against 7.2°), and Mecca is 116 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Kakamega (22 km), prays towards 12.9°, a difference of 0.3°.
Across the 20 cities in Kenya on this site, the Qibla ranges from 0.4° in Mombasa to 359.4° in Malindi, a spread of 359.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Kenya.
Qibla in cities near Khwisero
Qibla in Khwisero: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Khwisero?
It is 13.2° from true north, which is north: 13.2° east of north.
How far is Khwisero from Mecca?
2,430 km in a straight line over the globe, and 2,755 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Khwisero?
On 186 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Kenya?
No. It ranges from 0.4° to 359.4° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 13.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.