NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 30 – Kenya’s annual inflation rate rose to 6.8 percent in September, up from 6.6 percent in August, driven by higher prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport, and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels.

Latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 9.5 percent in September compared with the same month last year.

Transport costs rose by 15.6 percent over the same period, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased by 3.2 percent.

“These three divisions together account for over 57 per cent of the total weight across the 13 major expenditure categories,” KNBS said in its Consumer Price Index and Inflation Report for September.

On a month-on-month basis, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 0.9 percent in September compared with August.

Prices of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics rose by 0.4 percent, while personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services increased by 0.2 percent.

Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance also recorded a 0.2 percent increase during the month.