According to a report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the inflation rate for March 2023, was similar to February 2023 at 9.2 per cent.
However, prices of some commodities increased, including rent, maize flour, sugar, electricity, and gas, among others.
KNBS stated that one of the main causes of the increase was the rise in petrol prices by 1.1 per cent between February and March 2023.
"The rise in inflation was largely due to increase in prices of commodities under food and non-alcoholic beverages (13.4 per cent); and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (7.5 per cent); and transport (12.6 per cent) between March 2022 and March 2023," the report detailed.
Additionally, the rate increased because of the electricity that increased by 11.6 per cent for 50 Kilowatts and 9.0 per cent for 200 Kilowatts between February 2023 and March 2023.
In the report, Kenyans parted with Ksh 3,935 for a single room compared to Ksh3,920 in February 2023 and Ksh187 for one kilogram of maize flour compared to Ksh179 in February 2023.
The price of food items such as cabbages, carrots, and potatoes (Irish) increased by 8.9 per cent, 8.5 per cent, and 8.0 per cent, respectively, between February and March 2023.
Compared to the same period in 2022, the inflation rate almost doubled from 5.6 per cent in March 2022 to March 2023.
During the one-year gap, Kenya experienced some of the highest inflation rates, including a 9.6 per cent rise in October 2022.
However, in the period under review, the prices of onions (leeks and bulbs), cooking oil(salad), and tomatoes decreased by 0.9 per cent, 0.7 per cent, and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
The high cost of living is among the factors that have led a section of Kenyans to take to the streets every Monday and Thursday, as Azimio party leader Raila Odinga declared.
"We want the cost of living lowered, the election servers opened, and the reconstruction of the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) stopped," Odinga stated in multiple press conferences and rallies and recently advocated for the review of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) that was declared null and void.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto and his administration urged the country to give him ample time to fix the economy and lower the cost of living, as promised in his manifesto.
