By Andrew Kariuki

Kenya’s inflation rate rose to 5.6% in April 2026, reflecting an increase in the cost of key goods and services across the economy.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that both core and non-core inflation contributed to the rise, with non-core items recording sharper price increases.

Core inflation stood at 2.8%, driven largely by higher transport and food costs. City bus and matatu fares recorded a significant increase of 20.0%, while beef with bone rose by 11.1% and sifted maize flour by 4.7%. Cooking oil prices increased slightly by 1.3%. However, some items registered declines, with fresh packaged milk dropping by 0.8% and sugar by 5.4%.

Non-core inflation, which captures more volatile items, rose to 13.4%, mainly due to sharp increases in food and fuel prices. Cabbages recorded the highest jump at 34.8%, followed by tomatoes at 32.6% and sukuma wiki at 23.6%. Diesel prices rose by 19.4%.

Electricity costs, however, provided some relief, with prices for 50 kilowatts declining by 2.0% and 200 kilowatts dropping by 3.8%.

The data indicates that rising food and transport costs continue to exert pressure on household budgets, even as some essential utilities show modest declines.