Kenya inflation rises to 6.8% in September

Nairobi, Kenya experienced an uptick in inflation to 6.8 percent in September 2022, marking an increase from 6.6 percent in the previous month, according to data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The primary factors contributing to this rise were heightened prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, transportation, and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels.

The KNBS reported that food and non-alcoholic beverage prices surged by 9.5 percent compared to September 2021. Transport costs climbed by 15.6 percent during this period, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels prices saw a 3.2 percent increase. Collectively, these three sectors constitute more than half of the total weight across the 13 major expenditure categories, as reported by the KNBS in its Consumer Price Index and Inflation Report for September.

On a month-over-month basis, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices continued to climb by 0.9 percent in September, in contrast to the previous August. Prices for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and narcotics also saw a slight uptick of 0.4 percent. Personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services experienced a modest 0.2 percent rise during the same month.

In addition, furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance witnessed a 0.2 percent increase in September.