The Wire 2014

We started the Wire as a way to keep our print readers up to date with the exciting content we publish online. As you may or may not have noticed, our online content differs from our print content, in that it captures trending issues and stays abreast with current developments and matters of a more timely nature. Both online and print content are intrinsically linked, which is why we strive to keep both sets of readers informed about what is going on in the other medium.

So what has The Wire taught us in the four months since we launched the column? The first thing that never fails to disappoint is the predictability with which all our articles that have either mentioned prostitution or stripping, keep on topping the most viewed charts. People google either of those two words besides the word “Nairobi” and immediately get redirected to us. As a result, now would probably be a time to thank all the dirty minded googlers out there, for helping generate lots of traffic on the website over the past six months (and we apologise if what you found was not what you were looking for).

Don’t be fooled into thinking that only people with dirty minds read UP magazine. As a matter of fact, the trends in our content indicate otherwise. The two highest hitting articles we published all year were Dear Daily Nation and the Top Nine Youngest Kenyan EDM Producers by Carrey Francis Ronjey. The first one was a piece by our cynic-in-residence Adam Kiboi who called out the Nation newspaper for giving too much coverage of the incendiary statements made by members of the Republican Liberty Party, who were calling for homosexuals to be stoned to death. The article caused so much traction it even got picked up by columnist from the Star Newspaper, who proceeded to defend the Nation’s coverage of the contentious issue. The second post was pretty self-explanatory although we were somewhat surprised that it turned out to be so massively popular.

Lists, we hate to write them and you love to read them. If 2014 has taught us anything is that we will keep those lists coming in strong over the course of the next year. UP reader favourites included The top five most disturbingly commmon Craig’s list personals, The top five best bars in the CBD, Three Nairobi companies that are turning trash into treasure and the ever surprising yet constantly visited Top 5 bookshops in Nairobi. It seems that not all Nairobians have rejected reading or buy their books from the side of the road.

Got a list you feel we should have made? Are you outraged that we have never made a Top Five Side of the Road Smokie Salesmen list? Well write in and let us know, we’ll be happy to oblige!