Momentum and kinetic energy of rainfall are widely used indices to describe erosivity, the ability of rainfall to detach soil particles and erode the landscape. An optical laser disdrometer was installed in Santiago Island, Cape Verde, between September 2008 and September 2010 to measure rainfall intensity and size distribution of raindrops. A total time series of 5129 observations of radar reflectivity, visibility, rainfall intensity and number of particles were gathered. Rainfall kinetic energy expenditure KEtime (J m−2 h−1), kinetic energy content KEmm (J m−2 mm−1) and momentum flux MtA (kg m s−1 m−2 s−1) were calculated and fitted to different known experimental equations. The best fit between rainfall intensity and kinetic energy expenditure, kinetic energy content and momentum were obtained with power-law equations. These equations were validated in two independent events corresponding to 2008 and 2009, producing high correlation coefficients. The results show that for Cape Verde, KEtime is a more appropriate index to relate with rainfall intensity, and that kinetic energy expenditure and momentum flux are interchangeable parameters for erosivity estimation. New relationships relating kinetic energy and rainfall intensity, and momentum and rainfall intensity were derived, which contribute to the characterization of rainfall originating from tropical depressions at lower latitudes.