This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
As the festive season began, East Africa's inflation rate continued to rise, with Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda experiencing price increases in November.
According to the latest data, Kenya's inflation rate rose from 4.95% in October to 5.56% in November, while Tanzania's inflation rate increased by 0.2% in November.
Uganda's annual headline inflation rate rose 3 percent in November from 2.5% in October 2019, while Rwanda's inflation rate grew by 2.5%.
The rising inflation rate is attributed to the increasing cost of food across the region. In Kenya, the cost of a 2kg maize flour packet rose from KSh 125.4 in October to KSh 130.77 in November, while in Tanzania, the price of a kilo of beef rose from between TSh 5,000 and 5,500 to TSh 6,300 in the past two months.
However, Uganda's food prices maintained a 0% inflation in November, with a drop of 0.9% twelve months to October, due to a rise in vegetables inflation and a fall in fruits inflation.
Additionally, the price of non-food items also increased in the past two months, with Kenya's transport costs growing by 0.29% and Tanzania's transport sector recording an increase of 12.5%.
Uganda's inflation of clothing and footwear also rose, increasing by 0.8% from 3.8% between October and November, largely due to Christmas shopping.
