Kenyan consumers are worse off today than they were at the same time last year, with no relief in sight as the cost of essential goods — from food to transport — continues to surge. According to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), inflationary pressure remains stubborn, eroding purchasing power and stretching household budgets to breaking point.
The KNBS report shows that the annual consumer price inflation held steady at 4.6 percent in October, the same rate as in September. But behind this headline figure lies a more painful reality — essential commodities have become far more expensive, particularly food, which bears the heaviest weight in the Consumer Price Index.
The food and non-alcoholic beverages category recorded an 8 percent year-on-year increase, making it the hardest hit. Prices of staples such as sugar soared by 22.6 percent, sifted maize flour by 16.4 percent, and fortified maize flour by 16.5 percent. Tomatoes, a key kitchen staple, became 37.3 percent more expensive, while sukuma wiki rose by 15.4 percent, cabbage by 20.3 percent, and onions by 12 percent — putting more strain on already stretched family budgets.
Beyond the kitchen, the transport sector recorded a 4.8 percent annual inflation rate. While fuel prices remained largely unchanged month-on-month, they were still 2.3 percent higher than in October 2024. Local air travel saw the sharpest rise, with domestic flight tickets shooting up by an alarming 52 percent in a year.
The housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels category offered little comfort, rising by 1.9 percent annually. The cost of 200 kWh of electricity climbed from KSh 5,728.40 in 2024 to KSh 5,764.15 in October 2025 — a 3 percent increase month-on-month, signaling continued upward pressure.
Other categories also registered increases: health costs rose by 2.8 percent, clothing and footwear by 2.9 percent, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco by 3.1 percent. Even nonessential items that once offered moments of leisure are now straining pockets, with the KNBS noting that “discretionary spending is increasingly becoming a luxury.”
Inflation data separated into core (excluding volatile items like food and energy) and non-core components showed that core inflation eased to 2.9 percent, while non-core — heavily influenced by food prices—accelerated to 9.9 percent. Food and non-alcoholic beverages alone contributed 2.6 percentage points to the total 4.6 percent inflation rate, underscoring their dominant role in the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
Although month-on-month inflation stood at a modest 0.2 percent in October, the minor decline in some items such as maize flour and kale did little to ease the pain for families already reeling from months of steep increases.
As the festive season approaches, many households are clinging to hope that prices will ease. Yet, with inflation outpacing wage growth and commodity costs climbing higher, the burden on ordinary Kenyans only deepens — piling pressure on President Ruto’s administration, which rode to power on a promise to make life affordable for the poor.
Three years down the line, as Kenyans grapple with rising prices and diminishing incomes, the hope for a financial utopia as promised by President William Ruto’s administration remains a fallacy.
