The Kenya-Egypt soccer match, former and late Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli, and the AstraZeneca vaccine.

These are some of the Google Search trends that dominated Kenya in March 2021. 

Kenyans’ love for football reigned supreme throughout the month as they closely followed the national team and the European football leagues. 

The Kenya versus Egypt match topped March Search trends as Kenyans showed patriotism following the national team.

Kenyans were keen to secure a win that would have restored hopes of the Harambee Stars qualifying for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Second on the trending list was fallen Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli.

Speculation was rife for about a week that he had been flown to Kenya while seriously unwell and admitted at a Nairobi hospital. This made Kenyans to search for information about him.

Later, the then Tanzania vice-president Samia Suluhu Hassan said Magufuli had died of heart complications.

Hassan said that Magufuli was hospitalised on March 6 at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute and died at Mzena State Hospital in Dar es Salaam.

Journalist Winnie Mukami and former President Mwai Kibaki emerged at numbers three and four respectively on the trending list.

Winnie succumbed to Covid-19 related complications with Kenyans turning to Google Search for information about her life and career journey.

Kenyans also searched for former President Mwai Kibaki as an online debate ensued about who, between him and the current president, is the best. 

Champions League draw emerged as the fifth most searched query by Kenyans seeking information about their favourite teams and how they were paired to face each other in the quarter-finals.

The draw also emerged as the third trending search query by Nigerians.

The sixth trending search query, “Uhuru’s speech today” led Kenyans to want to know the details of the new Covid-19 containment measures imposed by the president during his 14 and 15 addresses on 12 and 26 March respectively.

Manchester United versus AC Milan match was the seventh trending Search query in March as Kenyan football lovers followed to know which team would win and proceed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Both South Africans and Nigerians also searched for this game, making it the seventh trending query in South Africa and eighth in Nigeria.

Kenyans also turned to Search seeking information on the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine after it was rolled out in the country, making it the eighth trending search query.

Endometriosis emerged as the ninth trending query as Kenyans turned online to get information about it.

This comes as March is recognised as Endometriosis Awareness Month and aims to raise awareness on the magnitude of the condition.

English Premier League games also dominated the trending list with the Manchester City versus Southampton match closing the top 10 trending searches by Kenyans in March.

Other league games that also trended include Burnley versus Arsenal, Arsenal versus Tottenham, and West Ham versus Arsenal.

Below are the March Search Trends for Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa  By Nancy Agutu, Star