Cost of living rises on higher fuel and food prices
A fruit and vegetables trader. The cost of living has increased to a three-month high in July due to rising prices of food and fuel. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
The energy regulator mid-July raised the prices of diesel and petrol that included the additional Sh6 road maintenance levy, piling pressure on motorists.
The cost of living has increased to a three-month high in July due to rising prices of food and fuel.
Official government data shows that inflation rose from 5.8 per cent in June to 6.39 per cent representing the highest rate since April.
“Between June and July, food and non-alcoholic drinks’ index increased by 1.12 per cent,” the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said in a statement.
Food takes up the largest share (36 per cent) of the basket of goods that is used to calculate inflation, making it the main driver of the cost of living.
Some food items that recorded price increases are maize flour, tomatoes and sugar.
The energy regulator mid-July raised the prices of diesel and petrol that included the additional Sh6 road maintenance levy.
The KNBS data shows that electricity prices eased marginally in July.
Homes consuming 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) monthly paid Sh3,361 down from Sh3,398 in June while users of 50 units paid Sh525 down from Sh534.
Cooking gas dropped to an average of Sh2,097 in July for a 13kg cylinder compared to Sh2,229 a month earlier, helped by removal of value added tax.
At 6.39 per cent, July inflation falls within the central Bank of Kenya’s preferred range of between 2.5 per and 7.5 per cent.
