According to the latest Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), cooking oil prices jumped the highest at 5.3 percent in May 2022. A liter of the commodity is now selling for 425 shillings and 444 shillings at Naivas and Carrefour supermarkets, respectively.
A 2 liter can of Rina Cooking oil retails at 852 shillings, while 3 liter of the same commodity now costs 1,306 shillings.
Meanwhile, a 10 liter of Fresh Fri cooking oil is trading at 3,506 shillings while a 20 liter of the same brand is 6,991 shillings at Naivas and carrefour shopping outlets. This is more than double the cost of the commodity in May 2021.
These prices result from the spike in the global cost of edible vegetable oils such as crude palm oil, sunflower, soybean, and corn oil by an average of 45 percent in the last year.
The prices of other essential commodities such as maize flour, cooking fat, and fresh picketed cow milk also increased by 6.9, 6.1, and 3.7 percent, respectively, compared to April 2022.
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A 2-kilogram packet of Pembe, Ahab, and Jogoo maize flours now retail at 155 shillings, 148 shillings, and 154 shillings, respectively, on different supermarket shelves across the country.
A spot check by Soko Directory revealed that a carton of 12 packets of Daima Fino Milk 500Ml is selling at 744 shillings while Tuzo Long Life Milk 200ml of 21 Packets Carton is trading at 600 shillings. KCC Gold Crown Long Life Milk 500Ml of 12 packets Carton is 735 shillings
A 500g packet of milk costs 60 shillings while a 400g of bread costs the same price at Naivas supermarket. A 2Kg of Kabras Sugar is 245 shillings.
The inflation rate in the country, the overall year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 7.1 percent in May from 6.47 percent in April 2022.
This is an all-time high rate increase attributed to a jump in prices of essential items like cooking oil, soap, and cooking gas in the last 12 months and the rise in fuel prices, which were reviewed upwards in April 2022.