YVONNE'S TAKE: The star-studded show

All criss-crossing the country.

To do what, exactly?

To disburse Ksh.22,500 to individual Kenyans, money that is sent, quite literally, at the press of a button via mobile money transfer.

So one must ask, are they all travelling thousands of kilometres simply to press "send"?

Would that money not reach beneficiaries if the President was not physically present on a raised platform, microphone in hand, flanked by political allies? Would the funds bounce back if there were no motorcade, no speeches, no cheering crowds?

Because let us be honest, this money does not belong to any political party. It is not personal largesse. It is a World Bank-funded project extended to the Government of Kenya, not to individuals, not to coalitions, not to campaign teams.

Yet the optics tell a different story. A stage. Thousands gathered on the ground. Leaders on one side, citizens on the other. Political speeches woven into what is meant to be a development intervention.

And then there is the so-called "business mentorship" said to accompany this disbursement. One is tempted to ask, who exactly is conducting this mentorship? Is it the President, the Deputy President, the Cabinet Secretaries? And is this really how meaningful business support is delivered, in a rally-style format, under the sun, to thousands at once?

Mentorship is deliberate. It is structured. It is sustained. It is not shouted from a podium.

What makes this even more troubling is the sheer wastage involved. The cost of moving this entire machinery across the country must run into millions, perhaps tens of millions.

Money spent on transport, security, accommodation, allowances and logistics, all to deliver amounts that could be disbursed quietly, efficiently and with dignity. And this is not an isolated case.

This very week, we witnessed the launch of a government policy. A policy, not a project, not a building, not an emergency intervention. A policy that has been two years in the making.

A large venue was hired. Decor installed. Seats arranged. Food and drink, no doubt, provided, all to "launch" something whose most important element is not spectacle, but implementation.

A policy is gazetted. A policy lives or dies by its implementation matrix. A policy could be explained through a press conference, a detailed public brief, parliamentary engagement and social media dissemination.

So again, the question arises, at what cost?

Do the costs of these launches now rival, or even outweigh, the substance of the projects and policies themselves?

And it does not end there. We have seen electoral bodies holding prayer meetings in hotels. Important engagements, yes, but must they always be in expensive venues? Could they not be held in offices, or places of worship themselves? When did public service become so addicted to pageantry?

When Cabinet needed to pray, they went to the All Saints Cathedral. That looked promising for the new year. It now turns out it was an isolated new year resolution that ended in January.

What we are seeing is a troubling conflation of governance, campaigning and performance. Government work is being done like a roadshow. Public funds are being wrapped in political messaging. Development programmes are being personalised, politicised and marketed as favours.

Yet none of this money is personal. None of it is political property. All of it is public.

So tonight, my take is this.

If a programme cannot stand without a motorcade, then it is not about service. If a policy needs fanfare to be credible, then we have misunderstood governance. And if leadership now requires constant applause, then accountability has quietly exited the room.

Kenyans deserve delivery, not drama. Substance, not spectacle. And governance that respects their intelligence, not one that mistakes rallies for impact.

Because surely, there must be a cheaper way to press "send".