He calls it a major blunder. The President accepted the deal without consulting the nation.
Manyora spoke during his weekly political analysis. He said Ruto has a pattern of making decisions alone.
Agreements get signed before Kenyans understand what is happening. Then resistance builds. Projects stall. The pattern repeats.
The deal in question places a 50-bed isolation unit inside Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki. It is designed primarily for American citizens and personnel exposed to Ebola.
The ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda triggered Washington's request.
Manyora argues the President failed to read the room. Kenyans immediately asked tough questions.
Why house a foreign quarantine facility on Kenyan soil? Why place it inside a military base? Why skip public participation and parliamentary debate?
The backlash was swift and intense. Nanyuki residents took to the streets. Two protesters died during clashes with police.
The High Court suspended construction. Judges demanded full disclosure of agreements the government had kept hidden.
Manyora noted the sovereignty question cuts deep. The facility is meant for Americans who could simply be flown home. Instead, Kenya becomes a quarantine zone for Western nationals. The optics are terrible. The politics are worse.
Ruto defended the project as part of normal bilateral health cooperation. He argued the US has supported other Kenyan health facilities. Refusing the request would appear inhuman. That framing failed to convince a sceptical public.
The analyst says the damage is already done. Opposition leaders have seized on the controversy. They paint Ruto as subservient to foreign powers. Public trust in government health policy has eroded. The conversation shifted from preparedness to suspicion.
Manyora concluded that the President must learn to consult before signing. Kenya is not a personal estate.
Major agreements touching on sovereignty demand transparency. The Ebola facility saga proves that even good intentions backfire when people are locked out of the decision-making process.
The project remains suspended by court order. Construction continues despite the ruling. The June 23 hearing will determine next steps.
But the political cost has already been paid. The blunder, Manyora insists, could have been avoided with honest public conversation.
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