Inflation has a significant impact on both consumable and non-consumable products and plays a critical role in determining the cost of living. The study aimed to investigate the trend of household consumable and non-consumable prices over the past three years and identify the best ARIMA model for future price predictions. The results showed that consumable goods played a greater role in determining the national inflation compared to non-consumable goods. A relationship was found between the changes in local-level prices and national monthly inflation rates, with consumable goods being fitted to an ARIMA (1,2,2) model and national inflation rates to ARIMA (3,1,0). Non-consumable goods were found to be a white noise. The models were found to be adequate in forecasting changes in prices, with their validity confirmed by the Box-Ljung test and autocorrelation coefficients of model residuals. This study demonstrated the importance of analyzing changes in products’ prices at a local level and how it affects the national inflation rate. In future, similar studies can be carried out in different counties and with a more comprehensive model to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prices of household consumable and non-consumable goods at the local level.                                                                                                                                                                                              FULL LINK

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory disease that has rapidly spread across the world from the first case that was reported in China in December 2019. The main symptoms of a person infected with corona virus are fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, dyspnea and myalgia. One of the main tool employed to control the pandemic is providing the community with correct information about the disease. High knowledge, right attitude towards COVID-19 and are adhering to suggested practices is the most effective approach to control community transmission. It is against this background that this study sought to assess COVID-19 knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) among Kenyans. An online cross- section survey was used to collect data between July 26-31, 2020. From the findings, 9.1% of the respondents indicated that their relatives, friends or themselves had contracted COVID-19. There is high knowledge of COVID-19 in Kenya, with 83.97% (82.4, 85.54) aware of its symptoms and preventative measures. With regard to containment of the disease, 55% are optimistic than measures instituted by Kenyan government will eventually control its spread. Daily MoH briefing (56%) and mainstream media (55%) are the main and trusted sources of information about COVID-19. Despite, most persons indicating they wore mask and washed hands while in crowded place, 60% indicated other people were not observing the measures. Gender, age group, education level and occupation influence the COVID-19 knowledge level.                                                                               FULL LINK