Kenya’s top trending Twitter hashtags of 2014

Kenyans are always on Twitter, and in 2014, they made their voices heard on Twitter. Twiiter, was seen as a platform that #KOT could best raise up their issues. Last year we saw a massive movement erupt around the insecurity challenges facing the country, stripping of women in the streets and also irresponsible parenting.

Here are the six top trending hashtags last year.

#BabaWhileYouWereAway

BabaWhileYouWereAway was initially aimed at bringing former Prime Minister Raila Odinga up to speed on the developments in the country after his over 2-month trip to the United States but as it is custom, memes and all kind of jokes hijacked it.

It was easily the most hilarious hashtag by #KOT. The hash tag started in May 2014, a video by one Japheth Muriira, went viral and he is believed to be the one who started the hashtag. It’s quite hilarious.

#StopTheDrunkPresident

Months later in November Kenyans again took on twitter with #StopTheDrunkPresident, after Kenya’s president President Uhuru Kenyatta and Thandie Ojeer, an Abu-Dhabi-based PR and branding personality took a selfie on Sunday Kenyans and shared it on twitter around the same time when the Mandera Bus Attack by the Al-shabaab Militia men occurred leaving 32 Kenyans dead.

As the commander in chief, and president, Kenyans felt he was out of touch with reality. But what triggered the Hashtag most was the president’s alleged remarks over insecurity in the country and especially surrounding the rape of a three year-old.

The hashtag were also fueled by others demanding to see the bodies of the 100 terrorits killed by security forces as alleged by the deputy president, others went offline and held a demo outside the deputy president office. Later on #MyPresidentMyChoice hashtag came up and was aimed at potraying the president as responsible and one who cares for Kenyans and was ready to do anything for them.

#MyDressMyChoice

In early December twitter again was taken in an uproar by #MyDressMyChoice, the hashtag gained momentum after a Video of a Kenyan woman being stripped by a mob of men on a Nairobi street went viral. It was also sparked by protesters mostly women who took to the street in Miniskirts to demonstrate and cry for justice for the women who were not only stripped but to some extent assaulted.

#DeadBeatKenya

#DeadBeatKenya was triggered by one of the most sought after, most controversial, dreaded (by men) and viral Facebook page in Kenya – Dead Beat Kenya. This page was out to expose men who were irresponsible fathers.

#OccupyHarambeeAve

#OccupyHarambeeAvenue was triggered after Kenyans took to the streets to condemn the series of attacks that were escalating in the country and the government didn’t give back answers that would satisfy Kenyans, this also gained momentum after the two Mandera attacks

#SomeoneTellNigerians

#SomeoneTellNigerians trended some time in March. The online clash erupted when news broke of the poor accommodations provided to the Harambee Stars, Kenya’s national football team, during a visit to Nigeria for a World Cup qualifier match.