Consumer pain as import bill hits Sh194bn in January
An attendant at Rubis petrol station on Koinange Street, Nairobi, on March 14, 2022. Lawmakers have insisted on Kenyans being cushioned against rising oil prices.
To ease pressure on consumers, lawmakers this week allocated Sh6.7 billion to the fuel subsidy plan.
The shilling has been under pressure against the American dollar, setting up the country for more expensive imports
Kenya’s import bill hit Sh194 billion in January – a record for a month – showing the economic impact of rising commodity prices in a world still recovering from the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released yesterday show the country’s import bill for January grew by 21 per cent from Sh160.7 billion a year ago – mainly propelled by sharp rises in the value of petroleum products and industrial supplies used in the manufacture of consumer items.
