NAIROBI, Kenya, March 31 – Kenya’s inflation rate remained unchanged at 9.2 per cent in March despite an increase in the cost of food, electricity, and housing, the latest statistics data shows.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the percentage change in the price of a basket of goods and services consumed by households increased by 0.8 per cent from an index of 130.13 in February 2023 to 131.18 in March 2023.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics(KNBS), the prices of commodities under food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 13.4 per cent; housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (7.5 per cent); and transport (12.6 per cent) between March 2022 and March 2023.
The month-to-month food and non-alcoholic beverages index increased by 1.6 per cent between February 2023 and March 2023.
Further, prices of commodities under furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance recorded an increase of 7.5 per cent over the period.
The prices for cabbages, carrots and potatoes (Irish) increased by 8.9, 8.5, and 8.0 per cent, respectively between February 2023 and March 2023.
A kilo of cabbage retailed at Sh65.17 from Sh59.86 in February while a kilo of potatoes retailed at Sh99.01 from Sh91.63.
During the same period, prices of onions- leeks and bulbs, cooking oil(salad) and tomatoes decreased by 0.9, 0.7 and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
The price of a litre of cooking oil reduced to Sh321.24 from Sh323.38.
The Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels’ Index, increased by 0.6 per cent between February 2023 and March 2023.
This was mainly due to an increase in prices of electricity which went up by 11.6 per cent for 50 Kilowatts and 9.0 per cent for 200 kilowatts between February 2023 and March 2023.
In addition, prices of gas/ LPG rose by 1.2 per cent during the same period.
The Transport Index went up by 0.3 per cent between February 2023 and March 2023. The increase was mainly due to rise in petrol prices by 1.1 per cent in the same period.
