2023 was full of events and activities that made it the year it was.
The Standard has compiled some of the major events, and happenings that marked the year both in Kenya and across the globe. Let's go down memory lane;
Anti-Government Protests
Azimio la Umoja chief Raila Odinga declared anti-government protests countrywide on February 22, 2023, to protest against the high cost of living and President William Ruto's administration, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel, among other reasons.
The protests went on for three consecutive weeks paralyzing businesses and normal operations across the country. Lives were lost.
In Senegal, supporters of Senegalese Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko also protested in the capital, Dakar to support the then aspiring presidential candidate, who faces a libel case.
Shakahola Massacre
Good News International Church Pastor Paul Makenzi faces charges of genocide after it emerged that he allegedly ordered his followers to starve to death in Shakahola forest, in preparation to meet their maker.
The religious cult left over 600 people reported missing and more than 400 bodies exhumed from the forest. The exhumation has been suspended.
Londiani Road Crash
On June 30, a lorry carrying cement collided with multiple vehicles at the Londiani road junction, resulting in the tragic deaths of 53 people, including roadside traders and their customers.
President Ruto reshuffles Cabinet
On October 4, 20233, President William Ruto reshuffled his Cabinet, reassigning Cabinet and Principal Secretaries to new dockets.
One of the changes that caused quite the stir was former Trade CS Moses Kuria's move to the Public Service docket and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi's added role as the Foreign Affairs CS. His predecessor Alfred Mutua was moved to the Tourism docket.
Kawira Mwangaza impeachment
On November 8, Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza survived an impeachment motion for the second time in less than a year after Senate voted in her favour.
Mwangaza had survived another impeachment tabled in December 2022.
Britain's King and Queen visit to Kenya
The British Monarch King Charles III and Queen Camilla landed in Kenya on October 31 for a four-day State visit.
It marked the king's first State visit to a Commonwealth country since he was coroneted on May 6, 2023.
National Tree Planting Day
November 13 was declared a national holiday for tree-planting exercises.
The announcement came as a surprise to many, the first ever such exercise. The government distributed seedlings with the help of community administrators while CSs and PSs took flights to different parts of the country to lead the exercise.
Faith Kipyegon and Kelvin Kiptum shine
Kenyan athletes on December 11 led by Faith Kipyegon scooped four awards during the World Athletics of the Year awards gala.
Kipyegon was named the Female World Athlete of the Year in track events, while marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum was named the Male World Athlete of the Year out of Stadia.
National power blackouts
A nationwide power blackout hit the country several times this year, paralyzing operations including at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The latest national power outage was in December. It was the third followed by a similar incident in November and August 25 - which took engineers over 12 hours to restore power.
Attempted Coups in Africa
The spate of coups has marked a brutal democratic backsliding in the African continent in 2023, with Niger and Gabon being the latest countries to overthrow an elected president.
In Niger, soldiers toppled the country's democratically elected president in July.
A month later, Gabon's president Ali Bongo Ondimba, an heir to a dynasty that ruled for 55 years, was deposed after a presidential election that the army and opposition declared fraudulent.
Sudan, which has been in war since the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, collapsed into a civil war in April that pitted the country's military against a powerful paramilitary force. The fighting saw crossfire set airplanes ablaze at Khartoum's international airport while countries rushed to evacuate their nationals by land, sea, and air.
Turkey Earthquake
On February 6, one of the deadliest earthquakes in a century flattened entire cities in southeast Turkey, killing at least 56,000 people, with nearly 6,000 others killed across the border in Syria.
From Twitter to X
In July 2023, Elon Musk officially rebranded Twitter to X after changing its iconic bird logo. The social media application now appears as X in the Apple and Google app stores.
Israel-Palestine war
On October 7, war broke out between Israel and Palestine, after Hamas gunmen poured across the border from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 people hostage in the worst attack in Israel's history.
As Gaza's destruction and death toll mount, international pressure grew on Israel to seize its offensive. The latest casualty update from Gaza's health ministry said 20,057 Palestinians have been killed and 53,320 wounded, and more than two (2) million people displaced.
Pope Francis allows priests to bless same-sex couples
On December 18, Pope Francis formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to "an exhaustive moral analysis" to receive it.
The document from the Vatican's doctrine office elicited mixed reactions among catholic priests and the general public.