Kenya’s April inflation up to 8-month high on higher food prices, non-food costs

Kenyan households experienced a higher cost of living in April, official data shows, as inflation rose to an eight-month high of 4.1 per cent.

This is up from 3.6 per cent in March as inflation, the measure of the cost of living, went up for the sixth straight month since November last year, after a record low of 2.7 per cent in October.

The annual consumer price inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was also higher than April 2024.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the April increase was primarily driven by rise in price of items in the divisions of food and non-alcoholic beverages (7.1%), transport (2.3 %) and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.8%) over the one-year period.

These three divisions together account for over 57 per cent of the total weight across the 13 major expenditure categories.

 The CPI measures the cost of purchasing a fixed basket of goods and services, comparing current prices to those of a base period (February 2019).

The inflation rate is derived from data collected through a monthly survey of retail prices that targets a representative basket of household goods and services, with data gathered during the second and third weeks of the month from a statistically representative sample of outlets in urban areas across 50 data collection zones nationwide.

During the month under review, notable price increases were noted on fortified maize flour (Unga) where a 2-kg packet averaged Sh169.41, a 2.6 per cent increase compared to Sh165.05 the previous month.

Maize grain (loose) averaged Sh66.60 per kilo up from Sh64.72 while that of potatoes and tomatoes recorded increases of four per cent and 1.2 per cent to retail at an average Sh131.50 and Sh81.88 per kilogramme, respectively.

Electricity prices equally went up with households consuming 50KwH paying an average Sh1,315 up from Sh1,268 while domestic consumers on the 200KwH margin parted with an average Sh5,877 up from Sh5,687.

Cooking gas prices equally increased as a 13-kg cylinder (refill) went for an average Sh3,156 up from Sh3,146.

These, in addition to a marginal increase in house rents where a 2-bedroom house averaged Sh18,312 up from Sh18,307 offset gains made in the lower prices of some food commodity such as wheat, cooking oil (salad), traditional vegetables, Sukuma wiki and cabbages.

“The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels' index rose by 0.3 per cent between March 2025 and April 2025. The increase was mainly on account of rise in the prices of 50kWh electricity, 200 kWh electricity and gas/LPG by 3.8, 3.4 and 0.3 per cent between March 2025 and April 2025. Conversely, prices of kerosene dropped by 1.6 per cent over the same period,” KNBS director general, Macdonald Obudho, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The transport index rose by 0.5 per cent between March 2025 and April 2025 mainly attributable to increase in prices of country bus fares during Easter holidays.

This, as transporters retained fares on other key routes despite a drop in pump prices of petrol and diesel which declined by 1.1 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively, to retail at Sh174.63 per litre and Sh164.86.