Why Kenyans Are Paying More for Tomatoes, Maize, and Matatus in 2025
Kenya’s cost of living is rising again, with the latest figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) showing inflation 4.5% in August 2025.
This is the highest in over a year, up from 4.1% in July and the highest since June 2024 when inflation was 6.2%. According to KNBS, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose mainly due to food and transport costs.
Food prices lead the way
Food items recorded the highest year-on-year increases. Tomatoes shot up by 38.3%, carrots 24.3%, fortified maize flour 18.7%, mangoes 18.1%, and sukuma wiki 17.0%. Cabbages also went up 14.9% and loose maize flour 13.4%.
Month-on-month, the CPI continued to rise in August with cabbages going up by 6.3%. KNBS noted that food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 8.3% of the overall annual inflation, the burden households face in daily expenses.
Transport costs add to the pressure
Transport costs also rose with matatu fares up 15.4% and the Nairobi–Mombasa bus fare going up from KSh 1,300 to KSh 1,500, the highest increase in the month. Overall, transport contributed 4.4% to the inflation figure.
While higher energy, housing, water and electricity costs added to the pressure, KNBS noted that reduced fuel prices in August provided some relief. EPRA cut petrol prices by KSh 1 per litre to KSh 186.37.
But this came after a big increase in July when pump prices were raised by more than KSh 8 which had already pushed up transport fares.
Maize prices at 20-month high
Maize, the staple crop, is at a 20-month high. A kilo of loose maize flour cost KSh 71.24 in July, the highest since November 2023. Despite government efforts to stabilise supply by allowing duty-free imports of yellow maize, supply is still tight and prices are high.
Cost of living still a challenge
Overall, food, transport and energy make up over 57% of household expenditure. The numbers show tough times for Kenyans as inflation is eating into disposable income.
While fuel prices came down slightly, the outlook is still tough for many households with food and transport still big concerns.
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Why Kenyans Are Paying More for Tomatoes, Maize, and Matatus in 2025