Kenya Inflation Rate Steady at 4.5% in December

2026-01-02 14:53 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

Kenya’s inflation rate stood at 4.5% in December 2025, unchanged from November and remaining close to its highest level since June 2024.

Still, inflation remained below the 5% midpoint of the central bank’s target range for a 19th straight month.

Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages exerted the main upward pressure, edging up to 7.8% from 7.7% in November, with tomatoes (30.3%), sukuma wiki (23.4%), and mangoes (23.1%) contributing most.

Other notable rises included maize flour (13.2%), loose maize grain (12.6%), sugar (12.5%) and Irish potatoes (8.3%).

Additionally, prices of transportation (5.2% vs 5.1%), of which fuels; and housing & utilities (1.6% vs 1.9%) played a key role in inflation dynamics.

On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.6% in December, after a 0.2% increase in the prior month, mainly on the back of transportation (1.9%).

Country bus and matatu fares rose 5.3%, while international flights increased 14.4% due to festive season demand.



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