Drought experienced in the first quarter of 2015 has pushed up
the cost of living to an eighth-month high almost breaching the
government’s upper limit of 7.5 per cent.
Data
released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicates that April
inflation rose to 7.08 per cent, the highest level in eight months, up
from 6.31 per cent in March as dry weather saw the cost of food in the
period increase.
There were significant price
increases of maize flour, potatoes, tomatoes, milk, cabbages, beans and
onions between March and April. This pushed up the food and
non-alcoholic drinks’ index by 3.92 per cent.
“The
observed food price increases were mainly attributed to the dry weather
conditions,” the bureau’s director-general Zachary Mwangi noted.
In the same period, housing, water, electricity and other fuels’ index went up by 0.23 per cent.
The
government has set a limit of 5 per cent (plus or minus 2.5 per cent)
as a medium-term target for inflation but this level may not be
sustained thereby worsening the cost of living.
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