Google declares IEBC winner of Year in Search 2022 category
The portal of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was the top trending “general search” in Kenya this year, according to Google’s ‘Year in Search 2022’ report released yesterday.
The report revealed that anxious Kenyans searched the portal to keep track of the results of the presidential election as they trickled in from polling stations nationwide.
Other top searches in the category include ‘World Cup Fixtures’, ‘KNEC Portal,’ ‘Russia-Ukraine conflict’ and ‘KUCCPS Portal’, where Kenyans sought to find out how to secure placement at universities and colleges and how to download forms.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also gripped the attention of Kenyans online, topping the list of most searched personalities during and after the August 9 elections.
Interest in Gachagua, dubbed ‘Riggy G’ by popular Twitter user Ivy Chelimo, surged after his announcement as President William Ruto’s running mate and during the August 9 elections. Users sought to know more about his family and biography.
Trending personalities
Others in the list of Trending Local Personalities include Azimio La Umoja Deputy Presidential candidate Martha Karua, Root’s Party presidential flagbearer George Wajackoyah, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, and former vice-chairperson of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Juliana Cherera.
The review showed that the polls, movies, education, health, sports, local and global politics, dominated the searches in Kenya.
“Google’s 2022 Year in Search lists the moments, people, topics, events and places that captured Kenyans’ attention during the year. Especially off the back of an election, we saw people come to Google Search to find answers to their biggest questions,” said Google’s Kenya communications and public affairs manager Sharon Machira.
In the how-to category, Kenyans wanting to beat a deadline by the Communications Authority on Sim-card registration, searched: “how to update Safaricom line” and “how to register Airtel line”.
Other popular how-to searches included “how to check KCSE results”, “how to check KCPE results”, “how to check polling station online”, and “how to buy KPLC tokens”.
Premier League footballers dominated the list of Trending Global Personalities, with Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus, Manchester United defensive midfielder Casemiro, and centre-back Lisandro Martinez emerging top in that category.
Others included Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose hard-line stance on the war in Ukraine has kept him in the news, and American actor Will Smith, who famously slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 2022.
Kenyans also sought information on the death of local and global personalities such as former president Mwai Kibaki, lawyer Paul Gicheru, Nigerian singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, Capital FM DJ Lithium, Queen Elizabeth, and US rapper Takeoff.
The African Cup of Nations led the searches in Sports, with the on-going FIFA World Cup in Qatar emerging second.
Local television dramas Zora and Sultana captured the imagination of Kenyan viewers, while Netflix show Tinder Swindler, Dahmer, Inventing Anna, and Stranger Things featured in the most searched international television programmes.
The top search query in the Tech category was “how to update GB WhatsApp”, a variant of Meta’s WhatsApp messaging platform that allows users to bypass limitations of the original app.
Kenyans also searched “how to delete a page in Word; how to convert Word document to pdf; how to clear cache; how to pin location on WhatsApp”; and “how to delete Facebook account”, among other queries.
In Health category, the top searches were “how to maintain facial health by controlling the type of food consumed”, “how to register for Covid vaccine”, “how to get pregnant fast”, “how to register NHIF online”, “how to treat UTI at home”, and “how to manage stress”.
Monkeypox, Swine Flu, Alopecia, Fournier Gangrene and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome were the most searched diseases.
Patriotic song
Nigerian Alté musician Ayra Starr’s hit “Rush” was top in searches for song lyrics, closely trailed by Mwalimu Thomas Wasonga’s Tushangilie Kenya, a patriotic song that saw an increase in popularity during and after the August 9 elections.
Kenyan music took a backseat, as Afrobeats formed the bulk of trending lyric searches — including Sugarcane Remix, Calm Down, Finesse, Cough by Kizz Daniel, For My Hand and Love Nwantiti.
Following the lifting of the 2012 ban on cultivation and importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Kenyans searched “what is GMO”, which was sixth in the trending “What Is” category.
Kenyans also searched for “what is Form 34A”; “what is Freemason”; “what is subsidy”; “what is opaque”; “what is happening in Ukraine”; and “what is State capture”.
Freemasonry recently re-emerged in the public imagination after lawyer and Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier revealed he is a member of the mysterious fraternity.
Google Trends is a publicly available tool that displays relative search volumes across geographies, time periods and the queries users want to know about.
Many people in the predominantly Christian country took exception to the revelation, associating the secret order with satanic practices.
Google Trends is a publicly available tool that displays relative search volumes across geographies, time periods and the queries users want to know about.
The two main categories of searches are ‘Trending’, which shows queries with the highest amount of traffic over a specific period, and ‘Most Searched’, which displays the most popular search terms for a given period.
