Factors influencing the spatio-temporal dynamics of plankton communities in small tropical lakes are not well understood. This study assessed plankton communities in response to spatial and seasonal (wet vs dry seasons) changes in environmental variables in Lake Kanyaboli, a small satellite lake on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya. Water quality variables, including pH, conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, Secchi depth (SD), nitrates (NO3-), nitrites (NO2-), ammonium (NH4+), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), were monitored monthly at six sites spread throughout the lake for one year. Phytoplankton and zooplankton samples were collected and analyzed for taxon composition and abundance. Two-way ANOVA showed no significant interaction between site and season for all variables, except Chl-a. A t-test showed significant seasonal differences in SD, DO, NH4+, NO3-, NO2- and TN. Thirty phytopla