Kenyans paid a little more for living in September; annual inflation climbed to 6.8 percent in September 2026 from 6.6 percent in August, pushed mainly by pricier food and transport, according to figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4 percent month on month, from 155.85 to 156.47. Food and non-alcoholic beverages carried annual inflation of 9.5 percent.
Transport posted the steepest yearly jump of any major category at 15.6 percent, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels came in at 3.2 per cent. Together, these three divisions make up over 57 percent of the CPI basket, KNBS noted.
Milk led the month’s food price rises; UHT long-life milk shot up 8 percent, with a 500ml pack moving from Ksh57.08 to Ksh61.64. A 500ml packet of fresh milk went up 6 percent, and fresh unpacketed cow milk climbed 5.8 per cent. Cabbage was not far behind at 6.2 per cent.
Shoppers also paid more for a 2kg packet of white wheat flour, which rose 4.5 percent from Ksh173.35 to Ksh181.11. Irish potatoes gained 3.3 per cent and oranges 2 per cent.
Smaller increases were recorded for charcoal (1.6 percent), beans (1.2 percent) and sukuma wiki (1.1 per cent), while beef with bones and cooking oil each edged up 0.7 per cent.
Not everything got more expensive; tomatoes got 4.1 percent cheaper, and sifted maize flour and sugar slipped 0.6 and 0.4 per cent respectively.
Households saw some relief on energy. Electricity for those using 50 kilowatt-hours fell 2.4 percent, and for 200 kilowatt-hours it dropped 2.2 percent. A 13kg LPG cylinder became 0.2 percent cheaper.
Travel costs were mixed as country bus and matatu fares eased by 1 per cent and city fares by 0.3 per cent, but international airfares jumped 8.1 per cent.
“Over the twelve months to September 2026, inflation in the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages division increased to 9.5 per cent,” KNBS stated.
Core inflation stood at 4 percent in September, while non-core inflation was far higher at 14 percent. Food alone contributed 2.8 percentage points to the overall 6.8 percent rate.
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