Kenyans are dipping into their pockets more to afford vegetables, despite a general drop in a majority of the items used by households.
In the month of July, the prices of cabbage, tomatoes and onions rose sharply year on year but were overshadowed by a drop in other commodities such as maize and rice which led to a general inflation decline to 4.3 per cent.
A kilogramme of tomatoes increased by 28.7 per cent to Sh98 in July this year from Sh76.7 in the same period last year.
Lovers of kachumbari will also have to dig deeper into their pockets as onion prices increased from Sh129.79 to sh171.41 for a kilogramme of the product over the period.
Cabbage prices recorded the sharpest price increase from Sh53.7 to Sh78.4 for a kilogram of the commodity. This was a 46.1 percent increase.
However, according to KNBS, Kenyan households experienced cost relief on various food items, with sugar prices dropping 22.3 per cent year-on-year to Sh164.42 per kg.
White wheat flour went down by 10.9 per cent to Sh177.07 per two-kg packet on average.
The price of maize flour, a staple food for a majority in the country, fell by the biggest margin compared to a year ago.
Kenyan households paid an average of Sh130.4 for a two kg packet of sifted maize flour, a 35.8 per cent drop compared with Sh202.93 in July 2023.
“In the review period food prices have remained relatively stable, with an annual increase of 5.6 per cent in July, matching the previous month’s rate,” KNBS said in their monthly update.
Prices of fortified maize flour also dipped 35.1 per cent to Sh147.30 per two-kilo packet, while a kg of loose maize grain also cost 29.8 per cent lower to Sh60.16 on average in July.
In contrast, the average cost of housing, water, electricity, cooking gas, and other fuels rose by a modest 3.9 per cent year-on-year but saw a slight decrease of 0.4 per cent.
