This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
Kenyans on Twitter: A Force to Reckon With ¶
Since its inception, Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) have been a force to be reckoned with, known for calling out individuals, situations, institutions, and even countries deemed to have erred in one way or another.
As described by the BBC in a previous report, KOT is a 'ferocious part of the Twitter landscape, often campaigning about a perceived injustice.'
From the #SomeoneTellCNN campaign in 2015 to the Chase Bank collapse in 2016 and the recent Kenya Navy saga, KOT has consistently pulled no punches in criticizing those deemed wrongdoers.
Aside from criticizing the so-called wrongdoers, KOT are also renowned for raising awareness on the plight of the less fortunate in society. In 2011, the Kenyans4Kenya campaign emerged as an intervention for victims of the drought that was touted to have been the worst in 60 years.
The late Bob Collymore, who was the Safaricom CEO, joined hands with the Kenya Red Cross, Media Owners Association, and the then Kenya Commercial Bank Group boss Dr Martin Oduor-Otieno to lead the Twitter campaign that raised over Ksh. 500million, according to the Daily Nation.
Fast forward to 2019, and another fundraising effort saw Kenyans raise over Ksh. 2.4million for Bianca Wambui after she appeared on the JKL show.
On Friday, Adrian Ciesielski revealed a list of the top 10 Kenyan hashtags of the year, as well as the top 10 influencers of the year, based on the number of times they have been RT’s or @’d.
According to the list, the top 10 influencers of the year include @Milele_FM, @citizentvkenya, @radiomaisha, @ItsMutai, @RadioCitizenFM, @Classic105Kenya, @EvahMwalili, @GhettoRadio895, @kbcenglish, and @williamsruto.
Other notable facts include the 2019 average tweets per day, which stood at 370K, and the average happy sentiment, which was 61%. The happiest day of the year was October 12, when Eliud Kipchoge broke the marathon record.
Lastly, the average angry sentiment for the year was 39%.
