Kenya’s month-on-month inflation in September has increased 0.1 points to 6.8 per cent amid a general increase in prices of commodities, a new report has revealed.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows the country’s inflation increased from 6.7 per cent in July.
Prices of commodities under Transport; Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages; and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other fuels, increased by 13.0, 7.9 and 6.3 per cent, respectively, between September 2022 and September 2023.
The food and non-alcoholic beverages index increased by 0.7 per cent on the back of an increase in prices of some food items that outweighed the decrease in prices of other foodstuffs.
During the period, prices of potatoes, cabbages and kales (sukuma wiki) increased by 18.4, 7.4 and 4.2 per cent respectively.
This translated to 1 kg of Irish potatoes retailing at Ksh101.77, 1 kg of cabbage at Ksh56.16 and 1 kg of sukuma wiki going for Ksh60.64 from Ksh85.95, Ksh52.28 and Ksh58.19 respectively in August.
Read: Kenya’s Inflation Eases To 6.7pc In August
During the same period, however, prices of maize flour-loose, maize flour-sifted, maize grain-loose and white wheat flour decreased by 6.7, 6.0, 5.4 and 3.6 per cent, respectively.
As a result, 1 kg of loose maize flour retailed at Ksh80.19 from Ksh85.92 in August. On the other hand, sifted maize flour went for Ksh179.93 for a 2 kg packet from Ksh191.33 a month prior.
A kilogram of loose maize grain retailed at Ksh74.41 in September from ksh78.66 in August as the price of 2 kg white wheat flour settled at Ksh191.00 during the period from Ksh198.13 the previous month.
Kenya’s preferred inflation band is 2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent in the medium term.