Increase in food cost drives up inflation in November

Kenya’s inflation rose to 7.32 percent year-on-year in November from 6.72 percent the previous month, driven by a jump in food prices, the statistics office said on Monday.

The food and non-alcoholic drinks index also increased by 1.08 percent between the months of October and November, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.

“This … was a result of a rise in prices of several food items which outweighed the decreases,” the bureau said.

Transport costs fell in the period after fuel prices dropped.

November’s rate of inflation remains inside the government’s preferred range of 2.5-7.5 percent.

The increase in inflation has not affected Kenya alone.

Uganda’s year-on-year headline inflation climbed to 9.1 percent in November from 8.8 percent last month due to a rise in energy costs, the statistics office said on Monday.