soaring cost of living in Kenya

Wantai · (#1 (**permalink**))

Video - KENYA:Overall Cost Of Living Sky Rocket

mutuko · (#2 (**permalink**))

this are the hard times in Kenya so hopefully everything would go back to normal. I dont want it to go the way Zimbabwe went

mwolovi · (#3 (**permalink**))

wellmutuko, it is still going to go up,odmers might not pay for the damages they have caused.

maziwa · (#4 (**permalink**))

Man, things are tough in Kenya. I really feel for people huko. Here in the states things are not that good and from the way things are i can just imagine how it is in Kenya.
The good thing about us Kenyans we've always survived and we shall too this time round.
Are there any companies or organizations or individuals in Kenya that deal with consumer and financial education in Kenya like here? akina Suze Orman and the likes? that would be very helpful especially to what i think is a slightly misinformed consumer (my thoughts - i might be wrong).

mwolovi · (#5 (**permalink**))

by the way what is the black market dollar rate in kenya??
how much is a loaf of bread??
what is the cost of making a locai call?
the cost of email?
the cost of a hair cut?
the cost of shoepolish, toothpaste, cussons soap?
cost of a cup of tea at the mama..... kiosk??

oogg · (#6 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwolovi

by the way what is the black market dollar rate in kenya??
how much is a loaf of bread??
what is the cost of making a locai call?
the cost of email?
the cost of a hair cut?
the cost of shoepolish, toothpaste, cussons soap?
cost of a cup of tea at the mama..... kiosk??

At the risk of sounding ignorant, I still have to ask: What is the dollar black market? I didn't even know there was one!

Type R · (#7 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwolovi

by the way what is the black market dollar rate in kenya??
how much is a loaf of bread??
what is the cost of making a locai call?
the cost of email?
the cost of a hair cut?
the cost of shoepolish, toothpaste, cussons soap?
cost of a cup of tea at the mama..... kiosk??

* Only a dimwit would go to the black market for US dollars. Bureaux are good enough, at 68/= per $ (60/= before Kivuitu decided, "Let Kenya burn!")

* Mobile phone calls: 29/= per minute, billed per sec. About 40 cents US.

* Landline: 15/=? 20 cents US.

* Internet browsing, cybercafe: 50 cents to 1 shilling per min, = 60 shs per hour. USA: 90 cents per hour.

* Haircut: 100/= to 250/=. US$1.50 - 2.50.

* Cussons Imperial Leather: 50/=.

youngben · (#8 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwolovi

by the way what is the black market dollar rate in kenya??
how much is a loaf of bread??
what is the cost of making a locai call?
the cost of email?
the cost of a hair cut?
the cost of shoepolish, toothpaste, cussons soap?
cost of a cup of tea at the mama..... kiosk??

First you must appreciate that the cost of products and services currently is dependent on many factors.

Where - Nairobi is relatively the same, pricing on most goods due to its centralisation, a taxi from the airport to my digs (3 weeks back) still cost me roughly the same as it did in November. Other provinces are dependant on availability of goods and the type of product, an inndigenous crop, is cheaper than one from another region, eg. A sack of potatoes in nai and central is kshs 1500, in some parts of Kenya its between Kshs 3000 and 4000.

Who - Unfortunately it has come to this, depends on who your local mama mboga is, you can buy a tomato for 5 bob while your neighbour buys from the same source at 15 bob. Sad indeed

What Type of service (depends on the service provider and service seeker) - this was experienced a few weeks back in some parts of Nairobi, but things are normalising, about other areas, i dont know.

But generally pricing in Nairobi is as Type R puts it

Siasa mbaya, maisha mbaya

Type R · (#9 (**permalink**))

The killer is petrol, or gas as Yanks call it.

90/= a litre translates (for you guys in USA) to $1.30 per 0.26 gallons ==> which means, $5 per gallon!!! I see on CNN Americans complaining about $3 per gallon. Their income per capita is forty times ours and we are paying double!!!

The price of cars is another matter.

A brand new 2009 model Toyota Corolla is USA is $16,000, or about KSh 1,120,000. Local sales tax could be about 8%? (Guys in USA, help me). We're in the Sh 1.2 m range.

You will be lucky to get a showroom Ford Ka for KSh 1.4M in Kenya, very lucky. To get this small unreliable midget: -

Unfair world.