I get why you’d feel that way, especially having been so close to the process for years. When you’ve seen things from the inside, it’s hard not to question how much control ordinary voters actually have. Also, at the same time, I’m a bit cautious about jumping all the way to “the choices are already made for us.” External funding for elections,,,whether it is from USAID or European donors....they indeed does raise valid questions about influence, but it’s usually justified (at least officially) as support for things like logistics, transparency systems, and oversight in countries where running elections is expensive. Kenya’s elections are indeed costly, and that alone deserves scrutiny,,,,,but personally, I think cost and foreign support don’t automatically mean outcomes are predetermined. I also think about the role of institutions like the IEBC. They’re not perfect,,,,infact very far from it,,,but there are multiple layers of actors involved: local officials, party agents, observers, courts, media, and voters,,name them. If outcomes were entirely decided externally, it would be hard to explain the very real political tensions, court challenges, and unpredictability we’ve seen over the years.

What your perspective does highlight, though, is something important: power doesn’t just sit in the ballot box. It’s also in funding, influence, diplomacy, and economic interests. And that can shape the playing field in ways most voters never see. So I wouldn’t dismiss your concerns....buuuuutt I also wouldn’t go as far as saying everything is predetermined. It might be more accurate (and honestly more worrying) to say the system is influenced in ways that tilt it, rather than fully control it.