Kisumu City Manager Michael Abala Wanga cut an unusually relaxed and reflective figure in the dock as his much-anticipated corruption case took yet another dramatic turn, with plea taking deferred to February 9, 2026.
Despite a high-profile arrest that sent shockwaves through Kisumu County, Wanga is yet to be formally charged with the raft of corruption-related offences levelled against him. Senior Resident Magistrate Harrison Barasa on Friday deferred the matter to allow the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to issue clear directions on how the case should proceed.
Through his lawyer, Steve Ogola, Wanga successfully urged the court to postpone plea taking, arguing that the defence had formally written to the ODPP seeking a review of the charges and was still awaiting a response.
Adding another layer of intrigue, Ogola told the court that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had failed to fully comply with earlier court orders issued in September 2025 by Magistrate Okore. Those orders required investigators to process the accused and record his statement.
“We are applying that the EACC comply with the court order requiring recording of statements from the accused. The orders issued by Hon. Okore have not been set aside,” Ogola submitted.
He asked the court to adjourn the case to allow the ODPP time to respond to the defence letter and for the EACC to fully comply with the outstanding directives. The defence also sought an extension of Wanga’s existing release terms — a bond of Ksh 500,000 earlier granted by Magistrate Okore — until he is formally called upon to take a plea.
The EACC, however, pushed back, insisting it had complied with all court orders. Prosecutors told the court they had amended the charge sheet and facilitated the recording of the accused’s statement, seeking only a one-week adjournment to proceed with plea taking.
“There are two orders that were issued by this court, and we have complied with both the amendment of the charge sheet and the requirement that the accused be processed and record a statement,” the EACC argued.
At the heart of the case are serious allegations that could land the Kisumu City Manager in deep legal trouble. According to the ODPP, Wanga is expected to face multiple counts of forgery, alteration of official documents, and fraudulent acquisition of public funds.
Prosecutors allege that he forged and tampered with several documents, including a letter dated June 10, 2024, purportedly inviting him to the Clean Air Forum in Lagos, Nigeria. The allegedly altered letter was then used to claim excess facilitation payments from the Kisumu County Government.
On June 19, 2024, Wanga is accused of presenting the forged invitation — said to be from the University of Lagos — to unlawfully obtain Ksh 283,402.50. The charge sheet further claims he fraudulently acquired a staggering Ksh 8,701,091 in public funds through similar schemes.
In an explosive additional allegation, the City Manager is also accused of forging a KCSE certificate purportedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and presenting it as a genuine academic qualification.
As the courtroom drama unfolds and timelines stretch into 2026, all eyes now turn to the ODPP. For Kisumu residents and anti-corruption watchdogs alike, the big question remains: will the calm demeanor in the dock translate into a full legal showdown come February?
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