Kenyans spent 2025 searching for political clarity, sporting heroes, wellness recipes and the meaning of words that defined the year’s conversations, according to Google’s Year in Search released on Wednesday.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga dominated Kenya’s search story, leading the trending Kenyan public figures list and appearing second in news related searches. His influence extended beyond direct searches, with Kenyans widely looking up “enigma meaning,” a term long associated with his political persona.

The Social Health Authority also featured prominently as Kenyans sought to understand the new healthcare system and its implications for their lives. SHA ranked third in trending news searches, with related term “Afya Yangu” appearing fifth on the same list.

Sports remained a powerful unifying force across the country. The African Nations Championship CHAN became Kenya’s top searched news item in 2025, underscoring the nation’s deep love for football. Runner Faith Kipyegon emerged as the most searched sports figure, affirming her position as one of Kenya’s most celebrated athletes. Kenyans also followed global football closely, driving searches for players like Slovenian Benjamin Šeško and Portuguese Diogo Jota who passed away in 2025.

The year saw Kenyans turning to Google to decode unfamiliar terms and understand major events. Global religious developments prompted searches for words like “conclave,” “habemus” and “papam,” with many asking “Who is the new pope?” International curiosity surfaced in questions like “Who is Charlie Kirk?” while locally, Kenyans looked up meanings of terms like “jowi,” “kubant,” “saba saba,” “demure” and “wantam.”

Geopolitical awareness drove questions such as “What is happening in Sudan?” and “What is happening in Congo?”

In Kenyan kitchens, wellness took center stage with “ginger shots recipe” leading all culinary searches as people embraced home remedies. Comfort foods and creative cooking also trended strongly, with searches for chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls, dawa, mini pizzas and even the Italian classic osso buco highlighting the balance between health conscious habits and indulgent home cooking.

Music searches painted a picture of Kenya’s diverse soundscape. The most searched lyrics of the year were for “Jamaica Farewell,” a nostalgic Harry Belafonte classic that resonated widely in 2025. Contemporary hits like Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” followed, showing the country’s fluid blend of old and new musical influences. Regional tracks like Mbosso’s Pawa, Donjo Maber and Toxic Lyrikali’s Backbencher also featured prominently. These patterns mirrored the year’s top songs, including Jamaica Farewell, Taya by Okello Max and Bien’s All My Enemies Are Suffering.

The full Year in Search data reveals how Kenyans used Google to navigate a complex year marked by political transitions, sporting triumphs, cultural conversations and the constant search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. The complete lists and more information are available at trends.withgoogle.com/year-in-search/2025/ke.