Controversial University of Nairobi academic and political commentator Professor Herman Manyora, long known for his appearances on Kenyan television dissecting political trends, now finds himself at the centre of an explosive corruption scandal, with The Nairobi Hospital publicly branding him an “imposter chairman” and accusing him not only of disseminating a forged letter falsely portraying him as the head of its Board of Management, but also of orchestrating an elaborate and sustained extortion scheme aimed at one of the hospital’s contracted suppliers, allegedly securing substantial sums under the threat of terminating her business with the institution.
The allegations are laid bare in a statutory declaration sworn by businesswoman Josephine Kavulani Luseno, the proprietor of construction firm Sipho Solutions Limited. In her affidavit, Ms. Luseno recounts that she first encountered Prof. Manyora’s pressure in mid-2024, shortly after submitting a tender bid for a Nairobi Hospital project, the Proposed Radiology Extension at the Old Pharmacy.
Having answered a public advertisement in the Daily Nation and lodged her bid on 13 June 2024, she claims she was soon subjected to an “incessant” barrage of phone calls from Prof. Manyora, who, she says, presented himself as a director of the hospital and issued explicit threats that her bid would be sunk unless she paid him Ksh 2 million.
According to the sworn statement, the intimidation escalated until 15 August 2024, when Ms. Luseno transferred Ksh 500,000 to an account at KCB Bank’s Hurlingham Branch belonging to Nairobi Review Limited, a company listed in official records as wholly owned and directed by Prof. Manyora.
Banking documents annexed to her affidavit indicate the payment reference and beneficiary details, while WhatsApp exchanges allegedly from his number, 0722 795 380, provided her with the account information.
Although her company ultimately won the tender, a success she attributes to merit, she maintains that the threats did not subside.
From January to May 2025, Prof. Manyora allegedly continued to solicit money from her, this time with the menacing warning that failure to comply would result in the termination of her firm’s contract with the hospital.
Safaricom’s filtered M-Pesa statements attached to the complaint record additional transfers, including a Ksh 6,000 payment directly to “HERMAN MANYORA” and another Ksh 10,000 to an associate identified as “PATRICIA MATAGA”.
In her affidavit, Ms. Luseno declares unequivocally that Prof. Manyora has “used his position as a member of the board for unjust enrichment” and that his conduct makes him “not fit to retain his position.”
She warns that if The Nairobi Hospital fails to take satisfactory action, she will “be forced to involve government authorities.”
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Open in new tab On 9 August 2025, the hospital’s legally elected Chairman, Dr. Barcley Onyambu, issued an official media statement in which the institution not only disowned the forged letter naming Prof. Manyora as chairman, but also confirmed that complaints had been lodged with investigative agencies regarding his “corruption conduct soliciting bribes from suppliers.”
The statement underlined that Prof. Manyora has never held the chairmanship and that all authentic communications emanate solely from Dr. Onyambu or the hospital’s substantive Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Felix Osano.
Public records from the Companies Registry link Prof. Manyora to Nairobi Review Limited, the very entity into which Ms. Luseno’s half-million-shilling payment was deposited.
Those same records list his postal address, contact information, and full shareholding, leaving little ambiguity about his control of the company.
The Nairobi Hospital’s move to distance itself from him and the allegations comes at a critical moment for the institution’s governance image.
With contracts in the health sector often involving millions of shillings and strategic infrastructure, the suggestion that a person misrepresenting their position within the hospital’s leadership could secure payments under duress has stirred unease among suppliers, insurers, and other stakeholders.
For now, the hospital says its planned engagements, including a key meeting with insurance leadership on Monday, 11 August 2025, will proceed under the stewardship of CEO Osano — a quiet but deliberate signal that, regardless of the noise surrounding the extortion claims, operational authority lies firmly in the hands of the duly appointed leadership.
Whether law enforcement’s inquiry will lead to charges against Prof. Manyora remains to be seen.
But if Ms. Luseno’s account holds in the face of formal investigation, the saga could crystallize into one of the most high-profile cases of procurement-linked extortion in the country’s private health sector.
It is a cautionary tale of how corporate reputation can be imperilled when the trappings of authority are misused to turn a tender process into a personal cash cow.
