NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga dominated Kenyan online searches in 2025, according to Google’s latest annual report, A Year in Kenyan Search: Trending Searches of 2025, released on Thursday.
The report highlights Raila as the most searched Kenyan public figure, reflecting his lasting influence on the country’s political landscape.
Kenyans also searched for terms like “enigma meaning,” a word often associated with his political persona. Raila passed away on November 15 at the age of 80 while receiving treatment at a hospital in India.
Another prominent Kenyan figure on the list was former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, who died on February 21 at the age of 64 after a week-long hospitalization in Nairobi.
The analysis also shows that Kenyans were searching for a mix of international and local figures who passed away during the year.
Among them was Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota, 28, who died in a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother Andre Silva in July.
Teacher Albert Ojwang, who died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody in Nairobi in June, was also widely searched, with his death sparking nationwide protests over police accountability.
Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, also featured among the top searches, alongside city lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, who survived a brutal attack in Lang’ata Road, Nairobi, in September where he was shot eight times in a drive-by shooting.
Other individuals trending in Google searches included journalist Kimani Mbugua, renowned author Ngugi wa Thiong’o, American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.
The Google report provides a snapshot of the figures who shaped public conversation in Kenya in 2025—whether through politics, tragedy, sports, or culture.
