Kenya inflation edges up to 4.4%

Kenya’s inflation rate rose slightly to 4.4 per cent year-on-year in March 2026, up from 4.3 per cent recorded in February, according to data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

The marginal increase reflects a rise in consumer prices across key sectors of the economy.

On a month-on-month basis, inflation climbed to 0.5 per cent in March, compared to 0.2 per cent in February, indicating a faster pace of price increases within the period.

Despite the uptick, inflation remains within the government’s medium-term target range of 2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent.

Read Also:

• U.S. slashes Nigerian crude imports by 47% in January
• Dangote Turns to U.S. for Crude Amid Local Supply Constraints

The data shows that rising costs in essential categories—including food, transport, and housing—continue to shape the overall price trend.

Providing further breakdown, the statistics agency said:

“Annual consumer price inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index was 4.4 per cent in March 2026. This implies that the general price level was 4.4 per cent higher in March 2026 than it was in March 2025.”

“The price increase was primarily driven by a rise in prices of items in the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (7.7 per cent), Transport (3.8 per cent), and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other fuels (2.0 per cent) over the one-year period.”

“These three divisions together account for over 57 per cent of the total weight across the 13 major expenditure categories.”

The figures highlight the continued dominance of essential household spending components in shaping Kenya’s inflation dynamics, even as overall price pressures remain relatively contained.