We are used to management by crisis, so let us slog through...

A lingering question every time Kenyans reflect on the preparations to welcome Cousin Barry, is the source of the money splashed in renovations on the road, and why the same was not available earlier.

The answer is simple: Ours is management by crisis. Nothing is ever accomplished unless it is an absolute necessity.

Remember the millions in the thick of the rainy seasons, allegedly meant to map out blocked drainage system for renovation? What became of that? Of course nothing will be heard about that – including the money – until the rainy season sets in – when more funds will be sought to complete a task.

Come to think of it, how much did the drums lined up in the city streets by the county government cost, and what became of them?

And how much was spent to relocate street families from the city, and how much more will be spent in their restoration back in the streets, after our guests are gone?

And what was the cost of paving the walkways surrounding the State House? You mean Prezzo UK wouldn’t have enjoyed evening walks outside his hood, without soiling his boots?

By contrast, when I detoured through Jogoo Road this week, to my consternation, traffic was flowing so well, I had to pause and think what was amiss.

Yes, that’s a typical Kenyan response. When things are going well, one presumes something must be wrong.

In the event, the trouble with Jogoo Road was that it is not in our Cousin Barry’s radar, which means it wasn’t among the roads marked for beautification, so it remains bare and ugly, and moving traffic.