The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reported that annual inflation increased to 6.8% in September 2026, up from 6.6% in August, mainly due to higher food and transport costs.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.4% month‑on‑month, moving from 155.85 to 156.47.

Food and non‑alcoholic beverages recorded a 9.5% annual increase, while transport posted the steepest jump at 15.6% year‑on‑year.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 3.2%, together with food and transport they account for over 57% of the CPI basket.

Milk prices led the food increases, with UHT long‑life milk up 8% (500 ml from Ksh57.08 to Ksh61.64) and fresh milk rising 5.8‑6%.

Cabbage rose 6.2%, white wheat flour (2 kg) 4.5%, Irish potatoes 3.3% and oranges 2%, while charcoal, beans and sukuma wiki saw modest gains of 1.6% to 1.1%.

Tomatoes fell 4.1%, and both sifted maize flour and sugar slipped slightly, by 0.6% and 0.4% respectively.

Energy costs eased, with electricity for 50 kWh usage down 2.4% and for 200 kWh down 2.2%, while a 13 kg LPG cylinder was 0.2% cheaper.

Domestic transport fares showed mixed trends: country bus and matatu fares fell 1%, city fares 0.3%, but international airfares jumped 8.1%.

KNBS noted that over the twelve months to September 2026, food and non‑alcoholic beverages contributed 9.5% inflation, with core inflation at 4% and non‑core inflation at 14%.

Food alone added 2.8 percentage points to the overall 6.8% inflation rate for the month.