SHA, Finance Bill 2024, and US Elections 2024 and personalities like Gachagua, Rebecca Miano, Soipan Tuya, led in this year’s Google’s Year in Search.
SHA beat global phenomena such as the Olympics and Euro 2024, as it mattered most to Kenyans this year. The Social Health Authority (SHA), the new healthcare system launched to replace the now defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) as the primary healthcare provider for Kenyans captured the interest of Kenyans. With thousands going online to oppose its implementation and report cases of SHA system failure across the nation.
The Finance Bill 2024, a tax legislation that proposed increase in Kenya’s taxes sparked search interest this year. Public protests, mainly by Gen Z, led to the government withdrawing the bill. The US Elections 2024 was third place on the top trending news in Kenya this year.
In the personalities category, the top trending local personalities list is led by the former Deputy President Gachagua, after his impeachment became a national topic of debate. He is followed by Rebecca Miano, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, and Soipan Tuya, the Cabinet Secretary for Defence. The top trending global personalities in 2024 is a mix of political figures, and entertainment personalities led by Jamaican reggae and dancehall superstar, Vybz Kartel, the US President-Elect Donald Trump, and American televangelist Benny Hinn, who held a crusaded dubbed, “Healing the Nation” at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi in February, an event that marked his return to Kenya after more than two decades.
Kenyans love for football continued to manifest this year. The sports list was dominated by AFCON, which took place between January and February in Ivory Coast and was filled with goals, drama, and unexpected outcomes. This was followed by Euro 2024, which was hosted in Germany from between June and July involving 24 teams. Kenyans also searched for the Olympics 2024 Schedule.
The death of Brian Chira, a content creator who died in a hit-and-run accident in March, was the most searched loss by Kenyans. His death sparked widespread mourning among his fans, friends, and family, with thousands attending his funeral to honor his memory and celebrate his impact as a content creator. Kenyans also went online to search about the deaths of Charles Ouda, a renowned actor, director, scriptwriter, and singer who made significant contributions to the entertainment industry. Rita Tinina‘s passing follows, as she succumbed to severe pneumonia.
Kenyans also searched for chicken curry recipe, pumpkin soup recipe, and various other delectable dishes, reflecting their growing love for diverse flavours. Entertainment-wise, “Supacell,” “Damsel,” and “Shogun” topped the list of trending movies and TV shows, while Kenyans were also keen on finding the lyrics to popular songs like “Anguka Nayo,” “Kudade,” and “Hit and Run.”
Other top-searched questions like “how to check KCSE results 2023,” “how to update token meter,” “how to say ‘hello’ in Italian,” “what is Airbnb,” “what is endometriosis,” “when are schools opening in Kenya,” and “when is Father’s Day in 2024” demonstrated Kenyans’ use of Search to explore their interests in 2024.
Here are the full lists of Top 10 Trending Searches by Kenyans in 2024:
| Trending News 1. SHA 2. Finance Bill 2024 3. US Elections 2024 4. Gachagua Impeachment 5. Haiti 6. Cyclone Hidaya 7. Starlink Kenya 8. Gen Z 9. SHIF 10. Ford Foundation | Trending Local Personalities 1. Gachagua 2. Rebecca Miano 3. Soipan Tuya 4. Noordin Haji 5. Kindiki 6. Robert Nagila 7. Kawira Mwangaza 8. Jimmy Wanjigi 9. John Mbadi 10. Mutuse | Trending Global Personalities 1. Vybz Kartel 2. Donald Trump 3. Benny Hinn 4. Kamala Harris 5. Baltasar Engonga 6. Joe Biden 7. Diddy 8. Bonny Mwaitege 9. King Charles 10. Katt Williams | Trending Loss 1. Brian Chira 2. Charles Ouda 3. Rita Tinina 4. Kelvin Kiptum 5. Fred Omondi 6. Allan Kiuna 7. Mr Ibu 8. Njambi Koikai 9. Lizzie Wanyoike 10. Peter Morgan Heritage |
| Trending Sports 1. AFCON 2. Euro 2024 3. Olympics 2024 Schedule 4. Copa America 5. Paralympics 6. EPL Table 2024/25 7. Ballon d’Or 2024 8. Mikel Merino 9. Lamine Yamal 10. Leny Yoro | Trending Movies & TV Shows 1. Supacell 2. Damsel 3. Shogun 4. The Boys 5. Becky Citizen TV 6. Deadpool 7. Chasing My Rejected Wife 8. Land of Bad 9. The Penguin 10. Dune 2 | Trending Recipe 1. Chicken curry recipe 2. Pumpkin soup recipe 3. Recipe for cooking vegetables 4. Margarita recipe 5. Brownie recipe 6. Vegetable rice recipe 7. Tomato soup recipe 8. Dawa recipe 9. Liver recipe 10. Kaimati recipe | Trending Lyrics 1. Anguka Nayo Lyrics 2. Kudade Lyrics 3. Hit And Run Shenseea Lyrics 4. Set It Lyrics 5. Mimi Ni Mzabibu Baba Ni Mkulima Lyrics 6. Not Like Us Lyrics 7. Viviano Song Lyrics 8. Nina Siri Naye Yesu Lyrics 9. Ameniweka Huru Kweli Lyrics 10. Maombi Yangu Yafike Kwako Lyrics |
| Trending ‘What’ 1. What is Airbnb 2. What is endometriosis 3. What is Gen Z 4. What is okra water 5. What is Remotask 6. What is a cyclone 7. What is solar eclipse 8. What is the meaning of demure 9. What is graves disease 10. What is femicide | Trending ‘When’ 1. When are schools opening in Kenya 2. When is Father’s Day in 2024 3. When is Easter 2024 4. When is Eid 2024 5. When is Ramadan 2024 6. When is US elections 2024 7. When is Euro 2024 starting 8. When is Diwali 2024 9. When is Good Friday 2024 10. When was HELB established | Trending ‘How to’ 1. How to check KCSE results 2023 2. How to update token meter 3. How to say “hello” in Italian 4. How to apply for KUCCPS 5. How to register for SHIF 6. How to demonstrate osmosis in living tissues 7. How to become a pro skater 8. How to reverse mpesa sent to wrong number 9. How to play aviator 10. How to hype up your sports team that you support | |
