Google Kenya on Wednesday morning launched Google+ in Kenya. The launch was done at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi and featured local and regional Google executives including Google Kenya Country Manager, Olga Arara-Kimani and Farzana Khubchandani Country Marketing Manager, Google Kenya. It was also Dorothy Ooko's first appearance in her new role in charge of Google Communications and Public Policy, East and Francophone Africa. Ooko had a much publicised move from a similar position at Nokia East and West Africa.

Google+ is Google's latest effort to venture into social media space. The site packs some of the features found in similar social networking sites such as Facebook but adds a few more of its own features. Google+ was launched end of June this year and has more than 40 million users worldwide already. Other statistics include 3.7 billion uploads, 1 million sites on Google+ pages and 5 billion +1 impressions per day, +1 impressions are an equivalent of a Google+ user endorsement of an item (like). "Google+ is still a beta product and we are still adding and trying many features according to user suggestions," said Olga.

Analysts see Google+ as Google's reaction to Facebook which has used its social networking features to get into advertising and other products that have been Google's strength.

Features on Google+ include grouping of friends into circles and the ability to distinguish what one can share to each circle, Messenger for instant messaging with contacts, a social gaming platform and Sparks where users can track interesting items they may be interested in. The Ripples features enables users to track stuff that they have shared.

Google+ Hangouts is a feature that enables a group of friends, including other Google+ users to interact in a live group video chat. Olga said that Google had seen unanticipated interesting uses of Google Hangouts such as Black Eyed Peas streaming their concert on Google+ and Political debates on the platform too. Google+ was infamously used to connect the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu for the Archbishop's 80th birthday ceremony when the South African government denied the Dalai Lama a Visa. Streaming on the platform though appears to be only limited to a few partners, with the intent of rolling out soon to more partners in much the same way as YouTube channels operate.

At the launch, participants were treated to a Google+ Hangout with Leo Faya of the "10 minute fix" fame and other Kenyans in the United States of America, Australia and Canada.

More features on Hangout include sharing of content like YouTube videos and even computer screens and presentations.

Olga also made a targeted push for businesses presence on the social network, saying that local businesses would be targeted as part of Google's Kenyan Businesses Online initiative. She says benefits of businesses on Google+1 includes a wider reach when users +1 . Friends of users can see content that their friends have +1 , including adverts. Businesses can also use the standard Google+ features including Hangouts with their fans.

Google continues to be more aggressive in its push for social media dominance. While other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have not held physical launches in Kenya, or even in Africa, Google has also gone ahead to sign on Juliani , a popular hiphop artiste in Kenya, for endorsement the network and featuring him in adverts urging new users to join him on Google+ . Juliani on Tuesday launched his newest music video exclusively on Google+.

Olga said that Google had seen great adoption of the site in the country, including by other popular musicians and by politicians . She said that users that there was overwhelming demand for local content from the users.