14: 05: 2026
Yesterday morning, my longtime friend JT called for what was meant to be a straightforward discussion on advertising. Yet before we could get to the business at hand, he could not resist reminding me—rather mischievously—of the day he claimed to have spotted me dining with Emmanuel Macron. That, as they say, is a story for another day
Once our conversation ended, I was in a hurry to get to the printing press. Our sister publication, Floriculture Magazine, was running behind schedule. But as I glanced out of my office window, the city had conspired against punctuality. Traffic was at a standstill, an unmoving sea of metal and frustration.
I did what every seasoned Nairobian does in such moments: I called my boda boda rider.
Within minutes, Nyagah arrived, weaving with surgical precision through the immobilised traffic. Then, midway through our dash, we hit a crater masquerading as a road. The jolt nearly launched me into the next lane. As I clung on for dear balance, Nyagah chuckled and said, “Hold on, boss. Don’t worry. Macron is around—he will sort out these potholes.”
It was then that I fully grasped the scale of the publicity surrounding the French President’s visit. From polished corporate boardrooms to boda boda stages, one name dominated every conversation: Macron.
And it made me pause.
Beyond the optics, beyond the ceremonial handshakes and carefully drafted communiqués, what tangible value will this summit deliver for Kenya—and more specifically, for our floriculture sector?
Yes, bilateral agreements have been signed. Some will bear fruit; others will quietly fade into diplomatic archives. But amid all the fanfare, one question remains glaringly unanswered: what deliberate effort is being made to position Kenyan flowers in France, one of Europe’s most challenging yet potentially rewarding markets?
France is no easy frontier. Its stringent phytosanitary regulations, restrictions on crop protection products, and limited direct cargo connectivity present formidable barriers. Yet these are precisely the obstacles that serious trade diplomacy should be confronting.
It reminds me of Comrade John, who once slept on an open textbook believing knowledge would transfer to his mind through osmosis.
The lesson is simple: proximity is not progress.
A nation may host every summit imaginable, but unless it confronts the structural bottlenecks eroding export competitiveness, the outcomes remain cosmetic. After all, standing in the bathroom is meaningless if no one turns on the shower.