The rate of thermal transitions in a kagome spin ice element is calculated using harmonic transition state theory for magnetic systems. Each element consists of six prolate magnetic islands. Minimum energy paths on the multidimensional energy surface are found to estimate activation energy. Vibrational frequencies are also calculated to estimate the rate of the various transitions. An overall transition rate between equivalent ground states is calculated by using the stationary state approximation including all possible transition paths. The resulting transition rate is in a good agreement with experimentally measured lifetime.