Listicle: Top 10 stories on ‘Nation’ website in 2019

He ran to the top of the world after completing a marathon in under two hours and proved that, indeed, no human is limited.

Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest marathoner of all time, also proved that ''no subject is limited'' when his heroic sports exploit topped readership on the Nation website in 2019.

In a year defined by murders and homicides, data from Kenya’s premier news website shows, Kenyans keenly followed coverage of crimes of passion — especially men and women who killed in the name of love.

And, while politicians never stopped bickering from January to the last hour of the year, Nation readers seem to have pushed the mute button on them, with many focusing on stories that directly impacted their lives — including matters economy, health and security.

Here is the list of top 10 articles on www.nation.co.ke in 2019, based on article reads:

1.What awaits Kipchoge if he runs under 2 hours: His daring mission to conquer the world in Vienna, Austria, saw millions of people hold their breath. While everything, including Eliud Kipchoge’s game plan, was clear, many did not know what awaited the legendary marathoner if he, indeed, proved that no human is limited on October 12. This story, published on September 4, unzipped a section of Kipchoge’s bag of goodies, including a brand new Isuzu single cabin worth Sh4.1 million. Overall, the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, which Kipchoge overcame to the amazement of the human race, was one of the reader-magnet topics on www.nation.co.ke.

2. A man, his dead wife, and a daring mistress: This story, one of the many on the murder of Mary Wambui Kimangara, 39, in Kiambu County, details the series of events and meetings that preceded her death in January 2019. Wambui’s husband Joseph Kori Karuwe, 41, and his mistress, Judy Wangui Mungai, 36, are facing charges over the murder. Their case is scheduled to continue in the new year, with Mr Kori lined up to testify against Ms Wangui in June 2020.

3.Vulgar Consolata schoolboy opens old wounds for family: In September 2019, a video of a Consolata School student spewing slurs and threatening to eliminate a colleague went viral in social media. Unknown to the online community, the footage opened wounds for parents of a boy who was allegedly pushed to his death by a classmate at the same school in 2015. This story exposed the tribulations of Mr Louis and Mrs Ruth Dianga who cringed with pain as they watched the video of the unnerving teenager, which to them signified the level of indiscipline, rot and impunity at the once prestigious school of their first-born son Austin Jack Dianga, whose death still remains a mystery.

4.‘How my daring brother rescued me from hell’: The year 2019 started on a terror note after Al-Shabaab attacked DusitD2 mixed-use complex in Nairobi’s Riverside Drive area. This story focused on one of the heroes of the attack, Mr Leonard Kamau, who daringly rescued his sister, Grace, an employee of Shell BG Group, a British multinational. Out of the many suspects that were arrested by police, only six are facing charges in court.

5.Inside web of lies that led police to Cohen's body: The murder of Dutch billionaire Tob Cohen was one of the closely followed stories on the Nation website. This piece revealed how DCI detectives managed to unravel the riddle of the then missing tycoon, leading to the discovery of his body in an underground water tank inside his Kitisuru home. It detailed how forensic experts waded through the web of lies, concocted stories, half-truths, and pretence to find the body of the man who had been missing for 55 days. Cohen’s widow, Sarah Wairimu, and her lover, Joseph Karanja, were charged with the murder.

6.KCPE top candidate scores 440 marks: The release of Standard Eight national exam results received a lot of attention, with hundreds of thousands of our readers following this subject. In the outcome announced by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, Andy Michael Munyiri of Damacrest Academy, Thogoto, emerged the top candidate with 440 marks. In the results that were released 18 days after the tests, the number of candidates who scored 400 marks and above dropped from 11,559 in 2018 to 9,770.

7.Mystery shrouds the mission of DP Ruto's son Nick Kipkurgat: In early October, Deputy President William Ruto’s son Nick left political pundits guessing after he held a fundraiser in Siaya, the home turf of his father’s political ally-turned-foe Raila Odinga. His associates said the Sh800,000 he helped raise in support of Nyamasore Catholic Church in Rarieda Constituency was part of younger Ruto’s mission to support the church and empower the youth. But is it?

8.Census: Why school reopening may have to be postponed by a week: Weeks to the re-opening of schools for third term, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) wrote to the Education ministry seeking a postponement to give ample time for the census. The move was informed by fear that most people would miss out on the important exercise conducted every 10 years since many parents, learners and teachers would be travelling on the weekend of August 24 – the census night – in readiness for third term. In the census results released in November, it emerged that Kenya's population expanded by nine million in the last decade, standing at 47,564,296 compared to 37.7 million in 2010.

9.Likoni tragedy: 'Man received phone call from his late father': John Mutinda, the man wo plunged into the Indian Ocean in early December, appeared disturbed before the incident. According to Mr Mutinda’s relative, Bernard Kieti, the victim told his wife that he had received a call from his late father before leaving the house in a huff. However, it later emerged that Mr Mutinda was a victim of domestic violence and was suffering from depression.

10.Top 2013 KCSE student Norah Borus found dead in US: Norah Jelagat Borus was one of several Kenyan students whose dreams for an education overseas were cut short by death. She was found dead at her residence at Stanford University in the US in mid-June. Ms Borus, who sat her KCSE at Precious Blood Riruta, emerged the best girl in Nairobi County in the 2013 KCSE exam results. Her death is the fourth reported in Stanford since last February, according to the university’s student affairs leader.

Other stories that grabbed and retained the attention of readers on www.nation.co.ke were the secret lives of billionaires in the betting industry, hacking to death of medical student Ivy Wangeci at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret and the death of Benga musician John DeMathew in a road crash in August.

From the Nation News Desk, it is a news and information-filled 2020.

Mr Misiko is Assistant News Editor, Daily Nation, and www.nation.co.ke.