'Samantha' sex doll tops Google searches for Kenya in January

A person prepares to search the Internet using the Google search engine. AFP PHOTO | PHILIPPE HUGUEN

What you need to know:

  • The doll by Barcelona-based engineer Sergi Santos dominated the top trending search, with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) 2018 intake coming in as a second trending item.
  • In the "how to" segment, the top trending search in the month of January was how to reverse M-Pesa, buy tokens and the third being how to withdraw money from SportPesa.
  • The "how to" segment also included how to buy Airtel airtime from M-Pesa, write application letter, a formal letter, and delete an Instagram account.

The sex doll developed with artificial intelligence dubbed 'Samantha' was Kenya's top trending search item on Google in January.

The doll by Barcelona-based engineer Sergi Santos dominated the top trending search, with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) 2018 intake coming in as a second trending item.

In the "how to" segment, the top trending search in the month of January was how to reverse M-Pesa, buy tokens and the third being how to withdraw money from SportPesa.

Search patterns

Google Search Trends is a publicly available tool that indicates search patterns over a period of time.

It shows the clusters of searches that made it to the weekly trending searches in the country.

The Football Association Challenge Cup, officially known as the FA Cup, trended at number three as the 2018 edition of this annual knockout competition in English football came to its third and fourth rounds.

Other people and search items that made the list include Yvonne Wamalwa, Farida Karoney, Cabinet Secretaries and Polycarp Igathe among others.

The "how to" segment also included how to buy Airtel airtime from M-Pesa, write application letter, a formal letter, and delete an Instagram account.

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