TIFA POLL: Majority of Kenyans Struggle with Rising Prices of Staple Goods

According to a recent survey by TIFA, over 50 percent of Kenyans are acutely aware of the soaring prices of basic staples like flour (unga), sugar, and cooking oil since President William Ruto assumed office.

This awareness cuts across both Ruto’s opponents and supporters, who had hoped for relief from the burdensome cost of living as promised during his campaign.

The survey highlights that 34 percent of Kenyans are cognizant of the escalating costs of petroleum products, while 25 percent have noticed the rising prices of cooking oil.

“Among commodities most consumed/used by Kenyans, the price increases for flour, sugar, and petroleum products since the Ruto government took office are most noticeable (61 percent, 51 percent, and 34 percent, respectively),” the poll reveals.

An alarming 78 percent of Kenyans state that they are unable to identify any products whose prices have decreased since the August 9 polls, while only 7 percent claim to be unaware of any commodity with a consistent price.

“The majority of Kenyans cannot identify any products whose prices have decreased during this period (78 percent), while only a small percentage are unaware of any price increases (7 percent),” states TIFA.

The survey findings are indicative of the country’s inflation rate. TIFA explains,

“Considering that the country’s inflation rate exceeded 9 percent in the latter part of last year and remained just below that figure in the first half of 2023, this is not surprising. It should also be noted that the impact of subsidy removal and tax increases on the mentioned items in the new Budget was not yet in effect during the survey period (the last week of June), particularly for petroleum products, which experienced price hikes only on July 1st.”