Road passenger transport, Fish push Uganda’s inflation rate to 3.2% for May 2026: UBOS Report

Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has released the inflation rates for the year ending May 2026 indicating an increase in the Consumer Price index rates to 3.2% for the headline Inflation for May compared to the rate registered at 3.0% for the month of April 2026.  

The increase in the rates according to UBOS was driven by an increase in the rates of services that registered an increase from 10.6% compared to 2.1% in April 2026 together with the core goods rates.

During the presentation of the rates by the rates by the Head of Department Macro Statistics, Mr. Sam Ejoku on 29th May 2025 he said that the increase in the rate was majorly driven by passengers transport by road that increased from 2.1% in April 2026 to 10.6% in May 2026.

He said that for the core goods that comprises a basket of maize floor, rice, sugar, it was found out that fish had the highest rates that contributed to increase in the annual Inflation rates.

“Fish rates was registered at 9.3% for May 2026, while i April 2026 it was registered at 9.1%. in addition annual energy fuel inflation increased to 16.6% in the year ending May 2026 compared to 7.7% recorded in the year endings April 2026” he said

He said that the Inflation rates registered by geographical centers Indicate two centers of Kampala high income and Masaka with the same highest rate of 3.9% for May 2026 compared to 3.8% for April 2026 driven by annual transport inflation and alcoholic beverages while the lowest rates was registered at Mbale center.

On the monthly basis, Mr Ejoku said that there was an increase in the inflation rates rising from 0.6% in April to 0.7% in May 2026 still driven by an increase in services, energy and utilities and food crops and related items rates.

In a span of one year, the lowest monthly rates since April 2025 was registered in October 2025 while the highest was registered in May 2026.