The cost of living in Kenya rose by 3.8 per cent in May 2025 compared to a year earlier, driven mainly by higher food prices, transport costs, and housing expenses, new data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows.
According to the statistics, the prices of basic commodities, used by Kenyans on a day-to-day basis, increased even as some dropped.
The prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 1.2 per cent between April 2025 and May 2025. Notably, prices of sugar, maize flour sifted, and kale-sukuma wiki rose by 4.3, 3.9, and 3.5 per cent, respectively, between April 2025 and May 2025. Photo of Supermarket Shelves In Kenya Photo Jambo Shop However, the prices of potatoes (Irish), oranges, and fresh packaged cow milk dropped by 3.7, 1.8, and 0.6 per cent, respectively, slightly easing pressure on household budgets in some segments.
For non-food items, the cost of electricity slightly eased, with a 50 kWh unit dropping by 1.0 per cent in May compared to April.
