Kenya’s inflation has risen to 3.5% in February 2025, driven by rising prices of several essential commodities. KNBS director general Macdonald George Obudho. The state agency released Feb’s CPI. Why Kenya’s inflation rose The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) noted that during the period under review, the food and non-alcoholic beverages index increased by 6.4%, while the transport index rose by 0.7%. KNBS reported that the month-to-month inflation rate was 0.3%. “Overall year-on-year (annual) inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 3.5% in February 2025; an increase from an inflation rate of 3.3% recorded in January 2025. The month-to-month inflation rate was 0.3% in February 2025,” KNBS revealed.
Which items recorded increase in prices? The costs of the following food and non-food items increased: Sugar – 3.2%. Cooking oil – 1.6%. Tomatoes (1kg) – 1.3%. Onions (1kg) – 1%. Kales – sukuma-wiki (1kg) – 0.5%. Fresh unpacked cow milk (one litre) – 0.3%. Beef – without bones (1kg) – 0.2%. Mutton/goat meat (1kg) – 0.2%. Local flights (one ticket) – 4.8%. Miraa – khat (1kg) – 4.5%. Which food and non-food items recorded reduced prices? Beans – 0.5%. Maize flour – sifted (2kg) – 0.5%. Fortified maize flour (2kg) – 0.8%. Cabbages (1kg) – 1.8%. Potatoes (1kg) – 1.8%. Wheat flour – white (2kg) – 2.4%. Electricity (200 kilowatts) – 1.2%. Electricity (50 kilowatts) – 1.4%. What’s CPI and how’s it measured? Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an important macroeconomic metric for tracking price changes and their impact on policy decisions. A man shops in a supermarket. Image for illustration.
According to KNBS, it is a weighted aggregate change in retail prices that customers pay for a specific basket of goods and services. The most commonly used indicator of inflation is consumer price inflation, which is the percentage change in the CPI over a specified period. A 10% inflation rate is implied for the period if the base year CPI is 100 and the current CPI is 110. CPI inflation can be calculated for various time frames, including monthly, quarterly, and annual periods Economic decision-making is based on year-over-year inflation, which compares the current state of affairs to that of the prior year within the same time. What was Kenya’s inflation in January? In January, TUKO.co.ke reported that Kenya’s inflation rose to 3.3% from 3% recorded in December 2024. Oranges (1.9%), cabbages (5%), sukuma wiki (3.9%), tomatoes (17.9%), and onions (6.8%) all saw price increases during the period. On the other hand, prices for matatu fare (0.7%), electricity (200kW) by 0.6%, 13kg cooking gas (0.7%), and mangoes (3.9%) decreased.
by Japhet Ruto
