Parents and students got rare relief in September as the cost of certificate and vocational courses eased, even as Kenya’s inflation edged higher to 4.6%.
- •Fresh data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that certificate course fees dropped by 0.1%, while vocational training costs, including mechanics, tailoring, carpentry and adult education, plunged by 2.9%.
- •The decline stands in stark contrast to mainstream schools, where parents are grappling with higher term fees and levies at the start of the academic year.
- •Long-distance travellers caught a break as country bus and matatu fares dipped 0.5% with the fuel prices also falling marginally.
The relief wasn’t confined to classrooms. Households also enjoyed lower prices on key staples. A kilo of loose maize grain slid 3.9% to Sh 68.14, while a two-kilo packet of sifted maize flour dropped 3.0% to Sh152.28. Sukuma wiki, spinach, sugar, milk and wheat flour also registered price dips, offering a cushion against rising living costs.
Personal care and household goods also showed small declines. Infant diapers were down 0.3%, hair dryerstumbled 2.3%, and in the tech basket, computers and tablets fell 0.6% while woofers and speakers edged down 0.1%.
But the overall picture was less rosy. Fruits such as oranges and mangoes, vegetables like cabbages and tomatoes, and utilities including electricity and rent all went up, keeping inflation within striking distance of consumers’ daily budgets.
In September 2025 ,the price of charcoal rose by 3.4%, while the price of electricity (200kWh) increased by 1.0%. The house rent for a single room also edged up slightly 0.5% by 0.2%. On the other hand, the price of gas/LPG declined by 0.2%, and the price of kerosene/paraffin dropped by 0.5%
“The September data is a reminder that inflation is uneven — households may pay less for flour or courses, but they are still squeezed on food, rent and power,” said one Nairobi-based analyst.
