Nairobi, July 6 -- It began, as so many Kenyan internet phenomena do, not in Nairobi but miles away, nearly 1,150 feet above New York City's Manhattan neighbourhood in the United States.

Last Wednesday, Russian rooftoppers Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov scaled the Empire State Building and somehow made their way to the summit of the 102-storey skyscraper without safety tethers.

Wearing dark outfits and face masks, the couple unfurled a black banner bearing the line: "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."

Then, above one of the world's tallest buildings, Mr Kuznetsov appeared to get down on one knee and propose, according to videos circulated on social media.

The pair eventually climbed back to th...