Fresh data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the price of a 2-kilogram packet of wheat flour increased by 3.3 percent in November 2023.
Meanwhile, a similar amount of sifted maize flour saw a 6.5 percent drop during the same period.
At Naivas supermarket, for instance, the 2-kilogram packet of wheat flour was priced between Sh.169 and Ksh.213 in November.
In comparison, an equivalent amount of maize meal ranged from Ksh.155 to Sh.235, depending on the brand.
Other food items experienced price fluctuations too.
The cost of a kilogram of tomatoes and oranges rose by 17.7 and 3.8 percent, respectively, while carrots increased by 2.7 percent.
Onions and beef with bones also saw a modest uptick of 1.1 percent and 1.9 percent.
Non-food items were not exempt from these changes.
The cost of a 50-kilogram bag of cement increased by 1.1 percent, and a 13-kilogram cooking gas cylinder price went up by 1.1 percent in November 2023.
Interestingly, diesel and kerosene prices decreased by 1 percent, and the cost of electricity for 200 and 50 kilowatts dropped by 1 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, during the period.
KNBS Director General Macdonald Obudho highlighted that the year-on-year inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 6.8 percent in November.
This increase was mainly driven by rising prices in the Transport (13.6%), Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and other fuels (8.5%), and Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages (7.6%) categories between November 2022 and November 2023.
Obudho emphasized, “The CPI increased by 0.2 percent from an index of 136.71 in October 2023 to 137.03 in November 2023.
The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Index rose 0.4 percent between October and November, lower than the increase observed between September and October.”
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