Kenya's inflation rate rose to 6.57% in August, up from 6.55% in July, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The main drivers of the inflation rise were the increased costs of food and non-alcoholic beverages (10.67%), transport (7.93%), and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (5.07%) between August 2020 and August 2021.
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 0.23% from a revised index of 115.446 in July 2021 to 115.710 in August 2021.
Prices of cabbages, spinach, and oranges increased by 3.74%, 3.06%, and 2.44%, respectively, while prices of potatoes and onions decreased by 0.48% and 0.30%, respectively.
The monthly cost of education increased by 2.2% in August, contributing an average weight cost of 5% in the overall CPI.
According to the KNBS report, the prices of 50 kilowatts of electricity increased by KSh100 last month compared to a similar period last year, while a 13-kilogram gas cylinder was refilled at KSh2,394 compared to KSh2,006 in August last year.
The KNBS report provides a detailed breakdown of the inflation rates in various sectors, including food, transport, and housing.
