Former Safaricom CEO, the late Bob Collymore, who died on July 1, 2019 and marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge topped the list of the most searched for personalities on Google in Kenya this year.
Collymore’s death shocked the nation while Kipchoge endeared himself to his fans by becoming the first person to run a marathon in under 2 hours during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge on October 12 2019 in Vienna.
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Also in that list released by Google is the late benga musician John DeMathew, who died in a road accident along Thika road on August 18, the late Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso who died after a 20-year battle with cancer, the late Kibra MP Ken Okoth and slain Dutch businessman Tob Cohen.
Form One selection 2020 was the number one most searched for item after it emerged that several top students were not posted in the national high schools of their choice.
The second most trending item was Huduma Number following the government’s mass registration exercise that would see the issuance of new digital identity cards for all Kenyan residents – citizens and foreigners alike.
In third place was the Likoni ferry tragedy at Likoni Channel which claimed the lives of Miriam Kigenda and her four-year-old daughter, Amanda Mutheu.
OTHER TOP SEARCHES
The BBI report and the Ethiopian air crash of March 10, which claimed the lives of 149 passengers and 8 crew, including 32 Kenyans, also made it into the top five list.
The late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 and Game of Thrones Season 8 emerged top in the Top Trending Global Personalities, Top Trending Sports Searches and Top Trending Movies & TV Shows categories respectively.
Year In Search uses data from Google Trends to build the top trending lists of searches across pop culture, sports, music, news, and more.
Below are lists of Top 10 trending searches by Kenyans in 2019:
Top Trending News Searches
1. Form one selection 2020
2. Huduma Number
3. Likoni Ferry tragedy
4. Building Bridges Initiative report
5. Ethiopian air crash
6. KCPE results 2019
7. Kibra elections
8. Dusit Riverside attack
9. Eliud Kipchoge INEOS
10. Census 2019
Top Trending Local Personalities
1. Bob Collymore
2. Eliud Kipchoge
3. John DeMathew
4. Joyce Laboso
5. Ken Okoth
6. Tob Cohen
7. Mike Sonko
8. Jonathan Moi
9. Ivy Wangechi
10. Esther Arunga
Top Trending Global Personalities
1. Robert Mugabe
2. Oliver Mtukudzi
3. Nipsey Hussle
4. David Luiz
5. Bruno Fernandes
6. Dwayne Johnson
7. Harry Maguire
8. Nicholas Pepe
9. Jussie Smollet
10. Kevin Hart
Top Trending General “How to” Searches
1. How to file returns using P9 form
2. How to apply for a passport
3. How to start a business
4. How to make money
5. How to drive a manual car
6. How to be successful in life
7. How to get a baby boy
8. How to check CRB status
9. How to check kcpe results 2019
10. How to get pregnant
Top Trending Tech “How to” Searches
1. How to download videos from YouTube
2. How to create a website
3. How to take care of a phone
4. How to hack wifi
5. How to track a phone number
6. How to convert pdf to word
7. How to hack a phone
8. How to track a lost phone
9. How to create a YouTube channel
10. How to pay parking in Nairobi
Top Trending “What is” Searches
1. What is census?
2. What is huduma number
3. What is xenophobia
4. What is cancer
5. What is INEOS
6. What is housing census
7. What is population census
8. What is BBI
9. What is aflatoxin
10. What is happening in Sudan
Top Trending Sports Searches
1. Africa Cup of Nations 2019
2. UEFA Nations League
3. ICC World Cup 2019
4. Rugby World Cup
5. EPL
6. Women’s World Cup 2019
7. Kariobangi Sharks vs Everton
8. Zarika vs Phiri
9. Champions League finals
10. New York Marathon 2019
Top Trending Movies & TV Shows
1. Game of Thrones Season 8
2. Money Heist Season 3
3. Avengers Endgame
4. Bird Box
5. When They See Us
6. Sex and the City movie
7. Captain Marvel
8. Lion King
9. Hobbs and Shaw
10. Joker