Westgate attack tops list of trending searches on Google in Kenya

 

Smoke billows over the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, following explosions and heavy gunfire in September. The terror attack was one of the most searched events in Kenya in 2013, a report by search engine giant Google shows. Photo/FILE 

By David Herbling
 

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In Summary

• The annual Google Internet Zeitgeist report released Tuesday provides an insight into the trending events, topics, websites and personalities that captured Kenyans’ imagination in the year 2013.

The March 4 General Election and the September Westgate Mall terror attack top the most searched events in Kenya this year, a report by search engine giant Google shows.

The annual Google Internet Zeitgeist report released Tuesday provides an insight into the trending events, topics, websites and personalities that captured Kenyans’ imagination in the year 2013.

Also in the list of top trending events searched on www.google.co.ke was the August 7 fire that gutted Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Kenyans also went online to seek more information on the altercation between Nairobi governor Evans Kidero and the city’s women representative Rachel Shebesh.

Further, the grand wedding of gospel songbird Emmy Kosgei to a wealthy Nigerian pastor also captured the curiosity of Kenyans who took to Google to dig more details on the nuptial.

Daily Nation emerged as the leading news site in Kenya, followed by two online news portals - Daily Post and Goal.com.

 

Kenyans also went online to seek information about Samantha Lewthwaite, believed to be the mastermind of the Westgate massacre.

Radio personality Ruhila Adatia, who lost her life in the mall attack, was also among the top personalities searched.

“The Westgate terror attack drew Kenyans online to search more information on the siege. In terms of the top trending events, the IEBC results and the Westgate attack topped the list. Trending searches have the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period,” Google said in a statement.

Deceased American actor Paul Walker, famed for his role in The Fast and the Furious film series and departed Nigerian artiste Goldie Harvey were the international personalities that dominated Kenyans’ searches online.

Interestingly, Kenyans went online seeking intimacy skills, asking Google ‘How to’ Kiss, Love, Seduce and Romance. ‘How to abort’ was ranked position three ahead of ‘how to pray’.

The findings by Google offers a unique perspective on the year’s major events and top trends based on the top search engine, helping rank what caught the eyes of Kenyans in an online perspective.

Kenyans’ perceived love for Mexican telenovelas was confirmed in the entertainment searches with Abyss of Passion, Amor Bravío, The Power of Destiny, La Fuerza del Destino and Soy Tu Dueña dominating the list.

Although Kenya is dubbed Africa’s silicon savannah, the Google study reveals that tech terminologies give most techies a hard turn, forcing them to seek definitions of simple terms online.

Tech savvy Kenyans trooped online to find the meaning of terms such as Wi-Fi, LinkedIn, Black Berry Messenger (BBM), M-Pesa, Faiba, email, Android and MMS.