In September 2023, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) revealed that Uganda’s monthly inflation increased by 0.7%, up from 0.6% the previous month. This rise was mainly caused by the increased prices of vegetables, tubers, bananas, and pulses, which experienced a 3.5% inflation rate in September, compared to 2.9% in August 2023.
Specifically, banana (Matooke) prices surged by 26.1% in September, up from 7.1% in the previous month, while mangoes saw a 48.4% increase, compared to 33.3%. Irish potatoes also increased by 7%, rebounding from an 8% drop, and sweet potatoes rose by 5.5%, compared to a 6.4% decrease in August 2023.
Aliziki K. Lubega, the director for macroeconomics statistics at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos), noted that core inflation, excluding food and energy, rose by 0.3% in September, up from a 0.2% rise in August. This was primarily due to a 0.5% increase in services inflation, compared to 0.2% the previous month. Other goods’ inflation remained stable at 0.2% in both September and August.
Additionally, monthly energy fuel and utilities increased by 1.7% in September, compared to a 1.1% rise the previous month. This was mainly attributed to liquid fuels inflation, which rose by 5.3% in September, up from a 0.1% drop in August. Diesel prices increased by 3.4% from 0.6% the previous month, while petrol inflation rose by 8.4% in September, compared to 0.0% in August.
However, monthly solid energy fuels inflation decreased by 0.4% in September, down from the 3.9% rise registered in August 2023.
Here’s a comparison of the average prices for some key commodities in September 2023, August 2023, and September 2022:
- Beef (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 13.917
- August 2023: 14,026
- September 2023: 14,217
- Rice (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 4,908
- August 2023: 5,065
- September 2023: 5,074
- Chicken (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 13,291
- August 2023: 13,394
- September 2023: 14,053
- Milk (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 1,962
- August 2023: 1,893
- September 2023: 1,967
- Matooke Bunch (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 1,062
- August 2023: 808
- September 2023: 982
- Irish Potatoes (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 1,597
- August 2023: 1,552
- September 2023: 1,806
- Sweet Potatoes (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 1,247
- August 2023: 986
- September 2023: 1,023
- Petrol (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 6,516
- August 2023: 4,977
- September 2023: 5,384
- Diesel (1 Kg)
- September 2022: 6,101
- August 2023: 4,803
- September 2023: 4,976
