Kenya’s inflation rose to a 16-month high in June, hitting 6.32% compared to the 5.87% Inflation rate in May. A report from KNBS (the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics) attributes this rise to the increased cost of basic foodstuffs and fuel.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), measuring the percentage change in the price of a basket of goods and services consumed by households, increased from 114.977 in May to 115.110 in June, a 0.12% change.
The food and non-alcoholic drinks index, accounting for a 32.91% weight in the basket, increased 0.06% between May and June. The increase was mainly attributed to increases in prices of some food items, outweighing the decrease in prices of others.
The prices of sukuma wiki, watermelons and spinach increased by 3.42%, 3.40% and 2.52%, respectively. A kilo of sukumawiki retailed at KSh55.83 in June, an increase from KSh53.98 in May.
On the other hand, prices of onions and tomatoes decreased by 1.67% and 3.61%, respectively. The price of a kilo of tomatoes dropped from KSh110.15 in May to KSh106.18 in June.
The cost of transportation increased by 0.28% month-on-month, attributed to an increase in petrol prices, which went up by 0.61% between May and June.
The water housing, gas, electricity, and other fuels’ index increased by 0.18% month on month, attributed to increased electricity prices, which rose by 5.61% and 3.95% for 50 Kilowatts and 200 Kilowatts, respectively.
Households and businesses consuming 200 kilowatt-hours (kWh) spent KSh187.73 more (KSh4,940.05) in June than May, while those using 50 units of power paid kSh46.93 more. This is because the fuel surcharge, based on the share of fuel-powered generators in the electricity mix, increased from KSh2.92 kWh in May to KSh3.63 in June.
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