The rise in prices of commodities such as electricity, gas and other fuels plus the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages is to be blamed for the increased inflation rate in September.

In a statement issued by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KNBS) on Thursday, September 30, the inflation rate rose to 6.91 per cent in September by a margin of 0.32 per cent compared to August.

“The overall year on year inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 6.91 per cent, in September 2021,” KNBS said.

According to the national statistical authority, the increased inflation rate was mainly driven by rising in prices of commodities under food and non-alcoholic beverages (10.63 per cent); transport (9.21 per cent); and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (6.08 per cent) between September 2020 and September 2021.

The CPI increased by 0.32 per cent from an index of 115.710 in August 2021
to 116.077 in September 2021.

“The month-to-month Food and Non-Alcoholic Drinks’ Index increased by 0.11 per cent between August 2021 and September 2021 which was mainly attributed to an increase in prices of some food items, which outweighed the decrease in prices of others,” the statistical authority said in a statement.

The Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels’ Index, increased by 0.91 per cent between August 2021 and September 2021.

This, KNBS said, was mainly attributed to increasing in prices of kerosene/paraffin, electricity and gas/LPG.

There was a slight decrease in house rent during the same period. Transport Index increased by 1.17 per cent mainly due to increases in prices of petrol and diesel that went up by 5.91 per cent and 7.30 per cent, respectively as presented in Table 3. Bus fares of city public service vehicles also recorded an increase of 0.64 per cent.