Business

November inflation hits six-month high of 5.46pc

Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 00:00 | By
A trader sells tomatoes to a motorist in Kisumu town. Photo/PD/VIOLA KOSOME

Kenya’s year-on-year inflation hit a six-month high in November surging to 5.46 per cent compared to 4.84 per cent in October as prices of food prices soared amid Covid-19 shocks.

Data from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows this as the highest rise in cost of living registered this year, having hit 5.62 per cent in April as the country struggled with food and transport challenges when the pandemic hit the shores of the nation in March.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the percentage change in the price of a basket of goods and services consumed by households, increased by 1.19 per cent from 109.60 in October to 110.91 in November while the month-to-month food and non-alcoholic drinks’ inflation hit 1.54 per cent.

The year-on-year food inflation stood at 6.09 per cent. “This was a net effect of an increase in prices of several food items which outweighed decreases in prices of others,” he said.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel’s index, increased by 0.07 per cent in November.

Prices of beef with bones, wheat flour-white and tomatoes increased by 0.99, 0.69 and 0.67 per cent, respectively while those of sifted maize flour, loose maize flour and carrots went down by 1.47,1.52 and 1.11 per cent respectively.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel’s index, increased by 0.07 per cent in November.

The change was mainly due to increases in the cost of some cooking fuels such as gas, and household utilities.

The year-to-year inflation for the month of October had also increased to 4.8 per cent from 4.2 per cent recorded in September.

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