Nairobi — Kenya’s central bank held its benchmark rate at a three-year low as inflation is expected to remain in its target range. The Monetary Policy Committee, which was fully constituted with nine members for the first time in five years, kept the rate at 9%, central bank governor Patrick Njoroge said in a statement e-mailed Tuesday from the capital, Nairobi. That was in line with all 11 projections in a Bloomberg survey. "Overall inflation is expected to rise in the near term, following the implementation of value-added tax on petroleum products in September 2018 and its impact on other prices, as well as increases in international oil prices," Njoroge said. "However, it is expected to remain within the target range due to lower food prices reflecting favourable weather."
The central bank of East Africa’s biggest economy unexpectedly cut the rate in July, citing below-potential growth. While the MPC has said there is room for a more accommodative stance, price pressures du...
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