Blogging has become very popular in most African countries, especially with the continuous rise in the number of internet users. Kenya has not been left out of this growth with the number of internet users in the country growing from 200,000 in the year 2000 to 46,870,422 as of December 2019.
As traffic to these blogs continue to increase and many interesting websites come into the scene daily, efforts have been made to develop the industry. The Bloggers Association of Kenya was formed in 2011 in an effort to positively harness the energies of Kenyan bloggers, online content creators and promote continuous freedom of expression in Kenya. As such, the BAKE Awards was created to recognize and appreciate exceptional bloggers who post regularly, have great and useful content and are innovative and creative. The platform has grown to have over 24 categories of blogs to present awards to as of 2019.
Even though the 2020 BAKE Awards was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID- 19 crisis, many blogs continue to put in the effort to dish out the latest news in politics, entertainment, fashion, education, health, and several other categories to keep people occupied as the lockdown and downtime is set to increase the number of internet users.
To get the list of blogs you should be reading in 2020, the following criteria were considered: the quality of the blog content and design, relevance and ease of finding information, social media influence, blog traffic, frequency of posts and the most recent BAKE Awards. All these things are put into consideration because there are some blogs who came performed well at the 2019 BAKE Awards but haven’t posted anything on their blog in the year 2020.
10 Kenyan Blogs Making The Waves In 2020
In no particular order, the list below shows the top blogs to follow in 2020.
- Techtrendske.co.ke
- Kalekyehealth.com
- Fashionablestepmum.com
- Safari254.com
- storiesspace.com
- Lyraoko.com
- Thisisess.com
- Leotunapika.com
- Ghafla.co.ke
- Ihub.co.ke
It is should be noted that this list isn’t exhaustive in any way as there are thousands of interesting Kenyan blogs that people might find interesting depending on individual preferences and the kind of information they are looking for. However, the world is a dynamic place. As changes occur and individuals evolve, there is bound to be a shift in priorities.
The Covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected several industries in the world and things are definitely not yet back to normal. This has brought about a change in a number of things; the type of information people source online, the amount of time spent on the internet, as well as things people use the internet for. We would love to explore this in different categories.
Ghafla (News, Entertainment, and Education)
According to Alexa’s ranking, entertainment and news sites are likely the most visited in Kenya. This development isn’t strange as people are eager to keep up with local and world politics. Moreover, it appears that Kenyans prefer to get the latest information from blogs that are always regularly updated, relevant, and more relatable to their cultural realities. A number of blogs have become a constant go-to for Kenyans to read up on breaking news.
The COVID- 19 pandemic has also encouraged people generally to keep up with the news of the spread and the number of victims who have the virus all over the world. The media has played an important role in all of this. The lockdown of businesses and economy has also afforded people with lots of time on their hands.
These blogs – Ghafla.co.ke and storiesspace.com – have become some of Kenyans most visited in recent times for everything news, education, and entertainment. Ghafla started as an entertainment news website in 2011 and has gone on to become a blog in Kenya you can’t miss reading.
The blog is an online media agency that delivers news and information on lifestyle, recent happenings, and celebrity news in Kenya and beyond. With over 14 employees as of 2014, the platform isn’t the largest but it has been able to deliver excellent and quality information that even spreads to technology and general information that would be of benefit to modern entrepreneurs.
Moreover, the blog doesn’t just cover Kenya or East Africa, they give you news about award ceremonies in Nigeria, the latest music from the US and so much more. The site entertains over its 1,768,213 monthly web visitors. Other things Ghafla covers are music, business, and development news.
Storiespace (News, Entertainment, and Education)
Unlike Ghafla, storiespace is a social network for writers, authors, readers, and people who have a passion for story-telling. The platform allows members to submit stories, and ask for a story.
The community has about 3,224 members with over 10,221 published stories and 8,295 shared images. The blog has made 10,622 blog posts and written 133,543 forum posts. The blog has over 410,000 unique visitors and 450,000 views almost every day. The free online writing community usually launches writing competition which encourages people to submit their own friction, thereby entertaining people who love reading.
In other words, this blog is where you can read, vote, and comment on stories, and even publish your own fiction or join in the blog’s chat room and forums. Some other blogs in this category that are worth checking out are Turnitin.com, mpasho.co.ke, wandianjoya.com, magunga.com.
Leotunapika (Food)
Cooking is very therapeutic for some and many have turned to several sources online for recent, delicious new recipes to try out. Leotunapika.com won the food blog award category in the last BAKE Awards for several reasons.
From several mouth-watering local and international easy to prepare recipes, the blog has a lot of cooking procedures ranging from breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, teas and the pictures are worth salivating over. It was founded in 2012 by a Kenyan woman named Gatuiri whose hobbies include cooking, travelling, and solving math. According to the founder, the blog started as a journal of her happiness and woes in the kitchen.
The blog has grown and spread to other online platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Other Kenyan food blogs to check out are Kaneskitchenaffair.com and Nairobikitchen.blogspot.com.
Fashionablestepmum (Fashion and Photography)
Even though fashion and individual styles can be personal, inspiration and tips are always welcome. This blog Fashionablestepmum.com is worth checking out for the latest in the fashion industry, tips on the right clothes for your body type, hair, makeup, accessories, and photoshoot inspiration. The lifestyle blog was created by Cathrine Kariuki, a stepmom to five children who chronicles her transition from a single girl to becoming a step-mom and her passion for fashion.
The blog became famous after her interview, highlighting the challenges younger women who are second wives to older men face. Apart from her life experience, the blogger also gives fashion tips encouraging women to buy pricey pieces for better quality and service instead of cheap outfits that wouldn’t stand the test of time.
So, for news on fashion and trending styles, this blog is very simple and friendly and it covers every aspect of fashion from beauty regimes to street fashion. Here, people share ideas on how to dress for occasions and exchange tips on online shopping.
Lyraoko.com (Photography Platform)
Lyraoko is founded by a portrait, lifestyle, and commercial photographer based in Nairobi Kenya. The blog is a leading photography platform that specializes in different kinds of photoshoots, headshots, and marketing through imagery.
The owner of this blog believes that she is a city changer. She discusses photography to great depths and shares a lot of tips and experiences with his followers. Of course, followers can also interact and share ideas.
Other fashion-related blogs worth checking are Curveswithstyle.com, the fashionmobster.com.
Kalekyehealth.com (Health and Lifestyle)
Everybody seems to have a tip or suggestion about how to stay safe and what to eat to boost your immune system. The Corona Virus/COVID -19 pandemic has seen several people gravitating and searching for health-related information. The popularity of the different government and privately-owned sites has definitely gone off the roof.
Another major challenge that many have been silent about is the state of an individual’s mental health. Asides losing people to the Covid-19 disease, many have lost their means of livelihood. All these are beautifully captured in Kalekyehealth.com which is known for its creativity and versatility. The blog has gone ahead to let other people who have risen above their life challenges to share their stories with others.
It was created by Kalekye Kasina, an award-winning journalist, a wife and mother of three children on a mission to help fight health issues in Kenya and the world at large. It was her passion for creating awareness of a healthy lifestyle that spurred the idea.
The blog covers everything on health improvement, including general health, fitness prescription, medicine, nutrition, personal development, disease prevention, along with personal and guest posts from contributors.
Thisisess.com (Lifestyle)
This blog covers everything from lifestyle, beauty, skincare, hair, makeup, food, travel, home decor, entertainment, motherhood, pregnancy, baby, parenting, wellness, and many others. Thisisess which also means “this is essential” was created by Sharon Mundia, who studied Marketing and Management in Monash University South Africa.
Her background in marketing has helped her shape the blog which began as a platform for sharing her life story. Her community has, as of today, grown to work with other business ventures with common goals as hers. Subsequently, the blog has not only been able to allow her to share her story, but also impact others through educative posts.
Techtrendske.co.ke (Technology and Innovation)
The relevance and usefulness of technology have become pronounced now more than ever. With many rediscovering the joy of technology and innovation, there has been a rise in the traffic to this blog: Techtrendske.co.ke which has high-quality coverage on technology to feed the general populace.
The platform features technology-related news, including gadget reviews, cybersecurity, business in technology, and several others.
Founded by a tech blogger, Nixon Kanali, Techtrendske has gained a reputation as a reliable source when it comes to business, and technology trends in Kenya and Africa at large. Since it basically reviews products and services such as smartphones, smartwatches, people who are looking to upgrade their knowledge of techs are mostly the readers of this blog.
For its outstanding posts, the blog was voted Best Tech Blog in Kenya in 2019 Bloggers Association of Kenya, BAKE, awards
So, if you need more than just tech info and want to get different reviews of phones and other items, again, this may just be the right portal for that.
Ihub.co.ke (Business, Technology and Careers)
Ihub.co.ke is a base for entrepreneurs and tech communities to connect and work on their ideas with the aim of building and nurturing an eclectic community of innovators, developers, and business people who will leverage unique opportunities in Africa.
iHub may as well be the largest among others on this list as it is highly regarded by authority platforms, including Forbes magazine. Having started close to 8 years ago, iHub served to provide a base for the country’s tech community and entrepreneurs to have the needed connection and work on their ideas. The site also provides an avenue for jobs to be posted by companies.
Depending on how you define business and technology, the blog is a great resource for everything that affects your business which is likely to inspire you. It doesn’t just cover business; there is always something on technology, careers business and so much more. Even job opportunity updates occasionally find some space on the crowded blog. The most interesting thing about this blog is that it has consistently been on top blogs over the last three years.
Other technology blogs worth checking out are Androidkenya.com, smattgeeksmedia.com, and techweez.com.
Safari254.com (Travel)
Even though there have been restrictions on travelling both locally and internationally due to the global pandemic, it isn’t a crime to dream, feast your eyes, and plan ahead. Safari254.com provides all that is needed to make travel hassle-free. With coverage ranging from Africa, Asia, Central America, and Kenya, the site, therefore, provides complete information for people looking for adventure in both Kenya and other places.
The blog also gives tips on what to expect at various destinations, hotels, and lodging services are also available and a list of fun places to visit. The covering of this blog is wide with authentic pictures and enthusiastic approach to travelling. This is definitely one way to live voraciously through others.
When it comes to travel blogs, Safari254 is at the forefront. It has a very wide coverage of various continents, including Africa, Asia, Central America, and more. The platform also has different categories like hotels and lodges, as well as game parks and reserves.