Consumers in the region will have to dig deeper into their pockets as they head for the holiday season, thanks to a rise in the cost of living.

In Tanzania, inflation rose to 3.8 per cent in November, from 3.6 per cent in October data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows.

NBS attributed this to a rise in the prices of foodstuff including rice, cassava flour, meat, beans and vegetables, and non-food products.

The inflation rate for food consumed at home and away for November rose to 6.7 per cent from 6.0 per cent, while the consumer price index rose by 0.5 per cent.

In Kenya, inflation stood at 5.56 per cent in November, up from 4.95 per cent in October, due to a rise in the cost of some foodstuff, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said. The consumer price index rose to 202.94 in November from 202.12 in October. The food and non-alcoholic drinks Index rose by 0.62 per cent due to a growth in prices of some foodstuffs outweighing the drop in others. Equally, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index rose by 0.29 per cent.

In Uganda, the annual headline inflation for the year ending November 2019 rose by three per cent from 2.5 per cent in the year ended October 2019. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics attributed it to a rise in the annual core inflation to 2.9 per cent from 2.6 per cent over the same period. Equally, the annual energy, fuels and utilities inflation rose to 7.4 per cent from 5.1 per cent. UBoS attributed the rise in core inflation to a rise in goods inflation to 3.8 per cent from 3.4 per cent.

Rwanda recorded a 6.9 per cent inflation in November, up from 4.4 per cent in October.

Latest data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda shows that food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 16.2 per cent on an annual basis. Starting early this year food prices have been rising as Rwanda feels the effects of a decision to restrict trade and movement at the Burundian and Ugandan borders, which affected the flow of goods.

Additional reporting by Moses Gahigi