The euphoria over the visit by US President Barack Obama is over and normal services which can as well be traffic gridlocks have resumed.
As we force each other out of the road, into ditches and other places not vehicle-friendly, we may have to ask ourselves what lessons we learnt from his visit.
Nairobi motorists do not like being inconvenienced. If you are in the Central Business District on Friday afternoon, you will realise that Kenyans treasure their time.
Businesses, banks and even judicial offices quickly moved into “screen saver” mode, with those seeking services getting waved away with a “see you on Monday” gesture.
When Obama was in the country, I covered my usual 12-kilometre stretch in 10 minutes as opposed to the usual 45 minutes or more, depending on the mood of the traffic police officers controlling traffic.
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Another lesson is that you do not just park your car anywhere simply because you have paid the parking charges.
Many Kenyan motorists fear only two things: Alcoblow and getting their vehicles clamped.
To avoid the latter, many pay the parking fees, and continue cursing the whole day. However, they are aware that with the fees paid, they are untouchable and can park anywhere in the city.
We were rudely educated that when a high priest is in town, you do not just park your car anywhere.
That belief that paying for parking gives you a right to every parking bay was disabused during Obama’s visit when some motorists realised the authorities were using forklift trucks to move their vehicles due to security reasons.
By the way, if the car was drop off from the forklift who would bear the cost of the damages? Just what would the insurance firms say after receiving a claim?
President Obama’s visit was also a good rehearsal for the next major events later in the year. That includes hosting the Pope.
We also learnt that grass cannot grow in three days despite investing millions of in shillings in the project, attempting to drown it in torrents of water and praying.
