Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga grilled by EACC over forgery, fraud claims

Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga on Wednesday presented himself before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in an ongoing forgery and fraud case against him.

His legal counsel, led by lawyer Steve Ogola, had earlier opposed the move to prosecute him, arguing that they had secured a court order allowing Wanga to have his statement formally recorded.

The EACC, however, maintained that he was only required to respond to a questionnaire statement.

Wanga is scheduled to appear in court on December 2, 2025, for plea-taking, where he will respond to charges approved by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa on Tuesday directed the Kisumu City Manager to present himself before EACC for processing and the recording of a cautionary statement.

According to the Office of the DPP, the City Manager faces multiple counts of forgery, alteration of official documents, and fraudulent acquisition of public funds.

The prosecution alleges that Wanga forged and tampered with several documents, among them a letter dated June 10, 2024, which purported to invite him to the CLEAN Air Forum in Lagos, Nigeria.

The altered document, the court heard, was allegedly used to secure excess facilitation payments from the Kisumu County Government.

On June 19, 2024, Wanga is further accused of presenting the forged invitation letter - purportedly originating from the University of Lagos - to facilitate the irregular receipt of Ksh.283,402.50.

The charge sheet also cites a broader financial misconduct claim, with the DPP indicating that Wanga allegedly acquired Ksh.8,701,091 in public funds through fraudulent means.

In addition, he is accused of forging a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate purportedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and presenting it as authentic.