This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
Kenya's food inflation has hit a two-year high, with prices rising to 8.1 percent in November 2019, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
As of November 2019, the cost of living for Kenyan households has become increasingly burdensome, with food prices experiencing a significant increase.
Food prices last reached this level in October 2017, amidst General Election jitters and a drought that drove prices up.
However, last year's good rains and imports helped keep food inflation in check, but a recent decree to keep imported maize out has led to a surge in food prices.
According to KNBS Director-General Zachary Mwangi, the food and non-alcoholic index increased by 0.62 percent between October and November 2019, due to an increase in prices of some foodstuffs outweighing decreases recorded in others.
Over the past year, the price of tomatoes has risen by 43.1 percent, from Sh66.9 to Sh95.78 per kilogram, while the price of green grams has increased by 27.6 percent, from Sh152.6 to Sh194.8.
Maize prices have rallied the most aggressively, with one kilogram of loose grain rising by 35.5 percent, from Sh45.1 last year to Sh56.2 in November 2019, and the price of a two-kilogram packet of sifted maize increasing by 55.1 percent, from Sh84.3 to Sh130.7 over the same period.
