A graphic on Kenya’s October 2026 inflation figure shared on X on October 30, 2026. Photo: Fintech Association of Kenya (@FINTAK_Official) via X
Kenya’s annual inflation rose to 7.3 percent in October from 6.8 percent in September, the highest since July 2023, driven by food, transport and housing costs, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said.
Food and non alcoholic drink prices rose 10.2 percent from a year earlier, up from 9.5 percent in September, while transport costs jumped 17.1 percent, up from 15.6 percent, according to the bureau’s figures as reported by local media. Together with housing and utilities, those categories make up more than half of the basket used to measure inflation. The figure is now just 0.2 percentage points below the 7.5 percent upper limit of the Central Bank of Kenya’s target range, the Fintech Association of Kenya noted.
Fuel is the main driver. Petrol prices in Nairobi rose by about 6 percent in mid October despite a temporary cut in value added tax on fuel, the association said, and the rise in fuel costs has pushed up fares and the price of goods moved by road. Core inflation, which leaves out volatile food and energy prices, rose to 4.3 percent from 4.0 percent, while non core inflation climbed to 15.1 percent from 14.0 percent, according to reports citing the bureau.
In its mid October pricing review, the government dropped the fuel subsidy for the first time since August 2025, and kerosene, petrol and diesel rose by Sh28.49, Sh12.93 and Sh9.90 a litre, the Daily Nation reported. Reuters noted that the last time inflation stood at 7.3 percent was July 2023.
The Central Bank kept its main lending rate at 8.75 percent on October 7, its fourth hold in a row, and said then that it expected inflation to stay within its 2.5 to 7.5 percent target range, helped by a stable shilling and government measures on fuel prices. It warned that a sustained rise in oil prices could spread to other goods and services. Its next monetary policy meeting is set for December. Inflation had stayed between 4.3 and 4.6 percent from October 2025 to March 2026, The Eastleigh Voice reported, before rising to the current level.
The Soko Directory business site listed 17 items that the bureau says became more expensive, including milk, cooking oil, potatoes, fuel and transport. Ordinary Kenyans described the pressure on X. Gathogo (@GathogoJ1), a user from Laikipia, wrote that petrol now costs Ksh 227.85, that transport is up 17.1 percent in a year and that the matatu fare in Kangemi has gone from 40 to 50 shillings, and he asked, “Who is your MP talking to about this?” Another user, @Neltair2, wrote in Swahili that while the Treasury had cut its tax collection target by 140 billion shillings and Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said the budget remained intact, “on the ground, boda boda fares have gone up by 40 percent,” in Mereja Media’s translation.
Some users tied the figures to wider frustration with the government of President William Ruto, with posts using the hashtag #RutoMustGo. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Citizen TV led their business news with the figures on Friday.
Sources
- Citizen TV Kenya on X, October 30, 2026
- KBC Channel 1 on X
- Fintech Association of Kenya on X
- Soko Directory, KNBS lists 17 items that have become more expensive
- Soko Directory on X
- The Eastleigh Voice on X
- Gathogo (@GathogoJ1) on X
- @Neltair2 on X
- Example #RutoMustGo post on X
- Daily Nation, Fuel price hikes push Kenya’s inflation to 40-month high of 7.3pc
- Reuters via CNBC Africa