June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Kenya's annual inflation accelerated to 31.5 percent last month as food prices increased, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

The inflation rate increased from 26.6 percent in April, the Nairobi-based statistics office said. The underlying inflation rate, which excludes food, rose to 10.5 percent from 9.6 percent over the same period.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nasreen Seria in Johannesburg at nseria@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 3, 2008 04:48 EDT