The Milimani Anti-Corruption Court has issued an arrest warrant for Kisumu County City Manager Michael Abala Wanga after he failed to appear in court to answer charges of forgery, uttering false documents, and fraudulent acquisition of public funds.
In a statement issued by ODPP on Friday, Wanga is accused of falsifying a letter to justify excess payments and forging a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), allegedly defrauding the Kisumu County Government of more than Sh8.7 million.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Wanga altered a letter dated June 10, 2024, which purportedly invited him to the CLEAN Air Forum in Lagos, Nigeria, held between July 8 and 12, 2024.
The prosecution told the court that on June 19, 2024, at Kisumu County offices, Wanga allegedly presented the forged letter as authentic, claiming it was issued by the University of Lagos.
“As a result, he is said to have fraudulently received Sh283,402.50 in excess facilitation payments,” the DPP said.
Additional charges against Wanga include fraudulently acquiring public property worth Sh8,701,091 from the county government.
He is also accused of forging a KCSE certificate with a mean grade of C+, allegedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and using it to secure his position.
Senior Principal Magistrate Gichana authorized the arrest warrant, noting that Wanga’s failure to appear in court necessitated immediate action.
“The warrant is issued to ensure that the accused answers to all charges as scheduled,” the magistrate said.
The case is set for mention on November 25, 2025, with prosecution led by Abdisalam Bor.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday summoned the Kisumu City Manager, Abala Wanga to appear at its headquarters in Nairobi for arraignment over allegations of forgery and corruption.
According to a statement issued on Thursday, the EACC said it had received approval from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to charge Wanga with multiple offences related to the use of forged documents and fraudulent acquisition of public property.
“The suspect is to be charged with the following offences; Forgery contrary to section 345 as read with section 349 of the Penal Code. Fraudulent acquisition of public property contrary to section 45(1) as read with section 48(1) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003,” the anti-graft body said.
