President William Ruto’s promise to ease the cost of living is facing renewed scrutiny as the price of food and transport continues to rise.
New figures show the annual rate of inflation rose for the third consecutive month in September, with families paying more for basic items including flour, milk, vegetables and transport.
“Kenya’s annual consumer price inflation rose slightly to 6.8 per cent in September 2026, up from 6.6 per cent in August”.
“The increase was mainly driven by higher prices of items in the food and non-alcoholic beverages (9.5 per cent); transport (15.6 per cent), and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (3.2 per cent) over the one-year period,” the bulletin said.
This is putting pressure on household budgets less than a year before the election, when the government’s record on the economy is expected to be a key campaign issue.
The latest Capital Markets Authority quarterly bulletin paints a mixed picture of Kenya’s economy.
While the value of shares traded on the Nairobi Securities Exchange rose sharply in the third quarter, inflation climbed to 6.8 per cent in September from 4.6 per cent a year earlier.
The figures bring to the fore the growing concern for households who lament that even when parts of the economy are performing well, families are still struggling to afford everyday necessities.
The cost of living pressure comes against a backdrop of increased foreign investor selling on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
The CMA report shows foreign investors sold shares worth Sh27.4 billion in the third quarter of 2026, against purchases of Sh21.7 billion, resulting in net outflows of Sh5.67 billion, up from Sh1.2 billion in the previous quarter.
This happened even as the value of listed shares rose by 9.57 per cent during the quarter.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data cited in the CMA report, food prices rose by 9.5 per cent in the year to September, while transport costs increased by 15.6 per cent. Prices in the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels category rose by 3.2 per cent.
In simple terms, Kenyans are spending more on feeding their families and getting to work, school and other daily activities and pressure is evident in the prices of common household items.
Between August and September, for instance, the price of a 2kg packet of white wheat flour rose by 4.5 per cent to Sh181. A litre of fresh milk sold loose increased from Sh73 to Sh77.54, while a 500-millilitre packet of milk rose from Sh57.74 to Sh61.23, according to KNBS.
Some vegetables have recorded even steeper increases over the past year. The price of potatoes rose by 33.6 per cent, sukuma wiki by 32.5 per cent and cabbage by 25.8 per cent.
Transport adds another burden. When fares and the cost of moving goods rise, workers have less money left after commuting, while traders face higher costs of bringing produce to markets.
The figures place renewed focus on Ruto’s pledge to improve the lives of ordinary Kenyans through his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
The President has defended his economic policies, pointing to government programmes in agriculture, housing and employment as part of efforts to create opportunities and improve incomes.
But for many households, the impact of such programmes is measured against how much money remains in the pocket after paying for food, transport, rent and school expenses.
The Central Bank of Kenya has identified pressures such as higher transport costs, weather-related constraints on food supplies and disruptions to international supply chains.
The CMA bulletin shows that while shares listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange rose by 9.57 per cent during the third quarter, reaching about Sh4.12 trillion by the end of September, it did not reflect the same for wananchi.
While the value of listed companies increased, this was without a corresponding improvement in the wages, earnings or spending power of most families.
