In March 2025, consumer prices on average were 4.7% higher than the previous year, and compared to February, the prices remained unchanged, reported the Central Statistical Office (KSH) on Tuesday.
The price of food increased by 7.0% over the year, with specific items seeing notable rises: flour by 42.2%, cooking oil by 32.7%, eggs by 26.1%, coffee by 18.6%, chocolate and cocoa by 17.6%, milk by 16.7%, fruit and vegetable juice by 16.0%, butter and butter cream by 13.7%, and poultry by 7.6%. Within the product group, the price of sausages and salami rose by 1.4%, and dried pasta increased by 0.8%.
Services became 7.5% more expensive, with rent rising by 11.8%, postal services by 11.3%, vehicle repair and maintenance by 10.3%, home repair and maintenance by 10.0%, and body care services by 9.9% compared to March of the previous year. The price of alcoholic beverages and tobacco rose by 5.5%, with alcoholic beverages specifically increasing by 5.7%.
The price of durable consumer goods increased by 2.1% over the year, with jewelry up by 21.0%, new cars by 6.1%, and furniture by 3.2%. On the other hand, used cars cost 2.0% less.
The KSH reported that household energy costs decreased by 2.7%, with natural gas down by 5.5% and firewood down by 5.1%. However, bottled gas prices increased by 10.2%. Vehicle fuel prices dropped by 2.5%, while the price of medicines and medical products rose by 3.1%.
Compared to February, consumer prices remained unchanged on average. Food prices also remained stable. Among these, cooking oil rose by 4.1%, chocolate and cocoa by 3.4%, snacks by 2.1%, dried pasta by 1.7%, coffee by 1.3%, and poultry by 1.2%. Within the product group, margarine prices decreased by 9.9%, milk and dairy products by 5.4%, butter and butter cream by 5.1%, flour by 2.0%, sugar by 1.9%, and pork by 1.5%. The biggest price increase was seen in clothing, with a rise of 1.2%.
The price of alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 0.5% in March, with alcoholic beverages specifically increasing by 0.8%.
Durable consumer goods became 0.4% more expensive, and services increased by 0.3%, with domestic holidays rising by 1.7%, body care services by 1.4%, vehicle repair and maintenance by 0.9%, and home repair and maintenance by 0.7%. Household energy costs decreased by 0.2% on average, with natural gas down by 0.7%. Vehicle fuel prices decreased by 4.1%.
