The rate of inflation for the month of March 2020 stood at 6.06 percent as the government adopted new consumer price indices.
Previously 234 items were analysed monthly to inform price changes, but this has been increased to 330 items in a process that also saw some of the obsolete items removed and new ones added.
This includes items such as radio cassette players or video cassettes that are currently not in use in most households who have adopted new technologies.
In addition, there are items that emerged recently that Kenyans spend more on today. This includes airtime for bus fare, mobile phones, mobile money transfer service, pay TV, garbage collection and fees for higher education.
Get breaking news on your Mobile as-it-happens. SMS ‘NEWS’ to 20153
This has prompted the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to revise the consumer price indices by removing obsolete items and including new ones in efforts to ensure that the data offered is accurate.
This was adopted this month where unlike in previous months, 330 items were analysed as opposed to 234 items.
The data indicates that the rate of inflation for March was 6.06 percent driven by higher cost of mangoes, irish potatoes, onions, cooking oil and rent.
This month there were notable reductions in the prices of tomatoes, spinach, maize flour, charcoal, rice and sugar, but the decreases were not big enough to offset increases of other items which were measured.