This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
Kenya's Most Searched Topics in July 2019 ¶
July 2019 was a month of great loss and celebration in Kenya, with several prominent individuals making headlines. According to Google's Kenya results for the month, the late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore was the most googled personality.
Collymore, a Guyanese-born British businessman, succumbed to cancer on July 1, 2019, bringing his nine-year stay at Kenya's most profitable corporate to an end. His death came almost a year after he openly spoke out about his illness, and he died of acute myeloid leukemia, leaving behind his wife Wambui Kamiru and four children.
Other trending searches in July included the Everton vs Kariobangi Sharks football fixture, which was the second most searched item. Kariobangi Sharks beat the English Premier League team Everton and won the SportPesa Cup at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
The death of Kibra MP Ken Okoth was also a trending search, with Okoth dying at The Nairobi Hospital after a long battle with colon cancer. He had been receiving treatment in Paris and returned home two weeks before his demise.
Former KTN news anchor Esther Arunga was sentenced to 10 months' jail probation in a case involving the death of her son, making her the fourth most searched item in July. Arunga was accused of lying about the circumstances under which her son suffered fatal injuries at a family home in Brisbane, Australia, in June 2014.
Other trending searches in July included the FaceApp application, which was a free app on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store with an age filter that made people in photos look much older. Socialite Vera Sidika was also a trending search, after she posted a picture of herself moments after bleaching her skin for the third time.
The seventh most searched item in July was cancer, which has now become the third leading cause of death in Kenya. Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru tied the knot to city lawyer Kamotho Waiganjo, and her wedding was the eighth most searched item in July.
The ninth most searched item in July was sodium metabisulfite, which was exposed by NTV investigative editor Dennis Okari in an expose called Red Alert. The expose revealed how supermarkets use the chemical to lengthen the shelf life of meat products to avoid losses.
The tenth most searched item in July was the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which concluded in July after Algeria won the cup.
Other trending searches in July included 'how to make money online', 'how to write a CV', and 'how to write an application letter', which show Kenyans are interested in improving their employment and financial abilities.
