Many people in Kisumu have been following the growing case involving City Manager Michael Abala Wanga as new details continue to shape the direction of the investigation. The matter has now moved to a point where the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court wants him to appear before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to begin the formal steps that could lead to a full prosecution. This follows a series of serious accusations that have placed the City Manager at the centre of a forgery and fraud inquiry.
The directive was issued by Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa, who instructed Wanga to present himself to EACC officers on November 26, 2025. His appearance will allow officers to process him and take a cautionary statement, a step usually taken before charges are formally addressed in court.
After this, he is expected to return to court on December 2, 2025 for plea-taking, where he will respond to the offences approved by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The DPP’s office has confirmed that the charges are not minor and involve several counts connected to the manipulation and misuse of official government documents.
According to the DPP, Wanga is accused of forging and altering official documents, including a letter dated June 10, 2024. The letter allegedly claimed to invite him to the CLEAN Air Forum in Lagos, Nigeria.
The court heard that the letter did not come from the claimed source and was instead tampered with to appear genuine. This same document is said to have been used to obtain extra facilitation funds from the Kisumu County Government, raising questions about how such documents were approved and processed internally.
The prosecution also stated that on June 19, 2024, Wanga presented what appeared to be a forged invitation letter, this time said to originate from the University of Lagos.
That document reportedly enabled him to irregularly receive Ksh.283,402.50 in public funds. This incident forms part of a larger financial misconduct claim captured in the charge sheet.
The DPP says the City Manager fraudulently acquired a total of Ksh.8,701,091 from public coffers, money believed to have been accessed through misleading documentation and dishonest representation.
Another accusation that deepens the case is the claim that Wanga forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificate. The certificate was allegedly made to look like it had been issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council. Investigators say he presented it as a valid document, raising concerns about the authenticity of his academic qualifications and the process through which he secured his position in county leadership.
With the upcoming plea-taking date, the case is now moving into a crucial stage where the court will formally begin to handle the charges. The developments have drawn attention to how public offices handle verification of documents and the extent to which fraud may go unnoticed until whistleblowers or auditors raise concerns.
The coming weeks will determine how the case progresses and what consequences the City Manager may face once the court processes begin in full.
