January cost of living measure up 4.83 per cent from 4.50 per cent in December
Inflation rise driven by higher prices of food, electricity and fuel.
At 4.83 per cent, the January inflation is still within the CBK preferred range of between 2.5pc and 7.5pc.
Inflation in January rose for the first time in five months, driven by higher prices of food, electricity and fuel.
The cost of living measure rose to 4.83 per cent from 4.50 per cent in December, where it touched a 55-month low.
This bucks the trend where inflation has been dropping since September, largely helped by government temporary subsidies that expired this month on maize flour – the country’s staple.
The subsidies, meant to cushion the poor, were tied to last year’s drought.
“Between December 2017 and January 2018 food and non-alcoholic drinks’ index increased by 1.69 per cent mainly due to increases in prices of some foodstuffs which outweighed the falls in others,” the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said in a statement.
Food takes up the largest share (36 per cent) of the basket of goods that is used to calculate inflation, making it the main driver of the cost of living, followed by utilities such as rent, water, electricity, gas and fuels at 18 per cent.
Some food items that recorded price increases in January include sukuma wiki, beef, cabbages and irish potatoes.
KNBS said transport costs were on the climb, in response to rising fuel pump prices as did electricity bills.
