Kenya Most Searched In The US, Worldwide On Google This Week Following Anti-Finance Bill Protests
Kenya was one of the most searched countries in the world this week as a result of widespread anti-Finance Bill protests in all 47 counties.
An analysis on Google Trends revealed a high level of international interest in the Generation Z protests, with many countries seeking information about the events.
Most searches originated in Uganda, South Sudan, Haiti, Qatar, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Notably, in addition to questions like “Who is Gen Z in Kenya?”, personalities like Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and President William Ruto were among the most frequently searched for.
Here’s the breakdown by country:
United States
Meanwhile, in the United States of America, the fire at the Parliament Buildings gained traction with residents.
People in the United States also sought information about the state of emergency and President William Ruto.
Surprisingly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), accused of being behind recent taxation policies, ranked among the top searches for people in the United States.
Americans, like the British, wanted to know whether Kenya had issued any travel advisories.
US citizens were also particularly interested in the police’s use of tear gas during the protest.
Haiti
Citizens in Haiti, where Kenyan police officers are leading a multinational peace mission, wanted to know more about the demonstration.
Unlike most countries, Haitians were eager to learn about the languages spoken in Kenya and the Swahili tradition.
This can be attributed to the deployment completed earlier in the week.
China
In China, some of the most popular Google searches were for protests, the Kenyan Parliament, and Ruto.
Additionally, people in China inquired about Kenya’s outstanding debt. Interestingly, China is one of Kenya’s largest lenders.
United Kingdom
The term “state of emergency” dominated Google searches conducted by people in the United Kingdom.
President William Ruto was also one of the most searched individuals in the United Kingdom.
Owing to the security in Kenya, UK residents sought to get the most recent information on the latest travel advisories issued in Kenya.
Notably, Auma Obama was also Googled in the United Kingdom. This can be attributed to the tear gas incident that occurred during her interview with CNN journalist Larry Madowo.
Uganda
Ugandans primarily sought real-time information about protests. Some of the Google searches included Kenyan protests today and the current situation in Kenya.
Uganda also ranked first among countries whose citizens researched who Generation Z is. In this regard, questions were raised about the meaning of Generation Z in Kenya.
Other top Google searches from Uganda included the Uganda House fire in Nairobi’s Central Business District and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Ugandans were also interested in learning about Internet outages and shutdowns in Kenya.
South Sudan
South Sudanese citizens are interested in understanding Generation Z.
South Sudanese were particularly interested in Google searches for Kenyan political figures such as Senator Edwin Sifuna, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and President William Ruto.
Other information sought about Kenya included the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and a travel advisory issued about Kenya.
Qatar
Qatar was one of the Middle Eastern countries that paid close attention to Kenya’s developments.
For example, the most popular search term in Qatar was the Parliament Mace, which was alleged to have been stolen during the protests.
Speaker Moses Wetangula has denied the allegations, stating that a dummy mace was stolen instead.
Furthermore, Google searches conducted in Qatar focused on the state of emergency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), and the fire at Uganda House.
Some Qatar residents also wanted to know if Kenya was a country.
Kenya Most Searched In The US, Worldwide On Google This Week Following Anti-Finance Bill Protests
