Nairobi - Veteran Kenyan radio journalist, Waweru Mburu, was the most trending search term in Kenya in September. Mburu, who was the Head of Radio Citizen at Royal Media Services, died on September 28 at MP Shah Hospital while undergoing treatment for gastric cancer.
Google search trends released by Google in Kenya show that the second trending search was the late politician, William ole Ntimama. His family said he died of natural causes on September 2, at the age of 86.
Third on the list was South African Kwaito artist Mandoza – real name Mduduzi Tshabalala – after he died on September 18 at the age of 38 while undergoing treatment for a brain tumour.
Fourth on the list of trending searches was Kenya’s nominated Chief Justice, David Maraga, after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) announced in September that Justice Maraga, 65, had emerged the best of eleven candidates shortlisted for the Chief Justice position. The position fell vacant after former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga retired in June.
Solar Eclipse was the fifth trending search after an annular solar eclipse occurred on September 1. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between earth and the sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the sun for a viewer on earth.
Other trending searches were Kenya Airports Authority employee, Ken wa Mwangi, after his controversial Facebook post about his alleged sexual encounters with underage girls enraged Kenyans online; Trey Songz, after the American RB icon visited Kenya for the recording of the fourth edition of the Pan African music show, Coke Studio Africa; US Presidential Debate as people went online to learn more about the first debate between American presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald trump which took place on September 27.
Other trending searches were Jubilee Party launch as Kenyans went online to find out more about the launch of the political party that brought together more than 10 000 delegates from varied parts of the country.
People also turned to Google search to find answers to their questions, including “What is constipation?” which was the most trending question, followed by “what is Kimoji?” as people turned to search to learn more about the mobile app that features a series of Kim Kardashian’s images as emoticons.
Other “what” searches were: “what is liver Cirrhosis?”, “what is the cure for heartburn?”, “what is parsley called in Swahili?”, “what is the meaning of ‘bae’?”, “what is the normal blood pressure?”, “what is Eid al-Adha?”, “what is emphysema?” and “what is gambling?”.
In the “How to” category, the most trending search was “how to cook fish”, followed by “how to gain weight fast”, and also “how to praise a lady”.
Other trending “how to” searches were “How to massage a newborn”, “How to get a clear face”, “How to marinate pork”, “how to bake mandazi”, “How to tell if a girl likes you” and “How to start a small business”.
African News Agency