Inflation rises to 3.6 percent in March amid higher food prices

Unga on display at Naivas Supermarket in Langata, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

According to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the inflation rate increased to 3.6 percent in March, up from 3.5 percent in February.

The surge in inflation was primarily driven by rising food prices, particularly for maize flour and tomatoes.

KNBS Director General Macdonald Obudho stated that the increase was largely influenced by price hikes in the food and non-alcoholic beverages and transport sectors over the past month.

The report further highlighted a 0.2 percent increase in the housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels index between February and March 2025.

"There was a decline in prices for items in the housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels category by 0.8 percent over the same period. These three divisions together account for over 57 percent of the total weight across the 13 major expenditure categories," KNBS expounded.

This rise was mainly attributed to a 0.2 percent increase in gas prices, while electricity costs also went up 50 kWh by 1.0 percent and 200 kWh by 0.9 percent.

Despite these increases, KNBS noted a 0.8 percent decline in overall prices within the housing, water, electricity, gas, and fuels category over the same period.

These three divisions collectively account for over 57 percent of the total weight across the 13 major expenditure categories.

Meanwhile, the cost of key food items continued to rise, with a kilo of sukuma wiki increasing by 6.2 percent, potatoes by 4.5 percent, and maize grain by 3.5 percent.

However, some relief was recorded in sugar and beans prices, which dropped by 0.2 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.