Kenya’s average consumer prices rose for the second month in a row to 6.6 percent in August as food and commuting costs squeezed family budgets.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said on Monday that inflation – a measure of growth in average cost of goods and services over the previous year – shot from 6.5 percent in July.
The average price increments in August extended a period of elevated inflation that began with the US-Israel war on Iran, with the rate remaining above five percent for the fifth consecutive month.
The latest reading is slightly below 6.7 percent in May, the highest since January 2024, highlighting the ripple-effect of Middle East conflict on domestic fuel costs amid reduced food output as a result of lower-than-expected rainfall from late last year.
KNBS says average food prices rose by 9.0 percent in August compared with a year ago, while transport costs jumped by 15.7 percent.
The two accounted for 4.1 percentage points of the overall inflation, contributing nearly two-thirds of the annual increase in prices.
Food, which makes up 32.9 percent of the household spending, was the biggest source of pressure, followed by transport, which accounted for 9.6 percent.
The reading marks a turnaround from early 2026, when the measure averaged 4.3 percent in the first three months of the year before climbing to 6.7 percent in May. It eased to 6.4 percent in June but rose for two consecutive months.
Core inflation, which excludes more volatile items, stood at 3.4 percent, compared with 14.7 percent in August.
Transport remained a major source of pressure, with inflation staying above 15 percent for four months. Transport charges have accelerated from 4.0 percent in February to 10 percent in April and 16.5 percent in May, before remaining above 15 percent through August.
Petrol was 15.3 percent costlier year-on-year in August, while diesel was 26.8 percent more expensive despite prices falling 2.2 percent to Sh219.04 per litre.
