Kenya's inflation rate hits 9.2 per cent due to high food, fuel prices

Unga on display at Naivas Supermarket. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Kenya's inflation rate hit 9.2 per cent in September, up from 8.5 per cent last month, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has said.

The increase, a 0.9 percentage point, was occasioned by the rise in food, fuel, and housing prices.

"The rise in inflation was largely due to increase in prices of commodities under food and non-alcoholic beverages (15.5 pc), transport (10.2 pc), and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (7.3pc), between Sept 2021 and Sept 2022," KNBS Director General Macdonald Obudho said in a statement Friday.

According to KNBS, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages index increased by 0.3 per cent between August and September 2022.

The cost of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose by 2.5 per cent between August and September this year, owing to increased electricity prices.

"The rise in the cost of electricity was mainly driven by a 46.7 per cent increase in fuel energy cost. The price of kerosene and paraffin also rose by 14.6 per cent."

Prices of household equipment and commodities under furnishings recorded a 10.7 per cent increase during the period under review.

Further, prices of maize flour, beans, and unbroken aromatic rice increased by 8.4 per cent, 3.5 per cent, and 2.9 per cent in September, respectively.

"During the same period, prices of tomatoes and carrots dropped by 10.2 per cent and 7.2 per cent, respectively. Relative to last month, a number of quick growing vegetables showed price falls," KNBS noted.

The transport index also increased in the period under review by 3.6 per cent, due to an increase in fuel prices.

Prices of diesel and petrol rose by 17.7 per cent and 12.6 per cent respectively.