Daily Trends

A governance oversight body has intensified pressure on authorities to take swift action against Kisumu’s Acting City Manager, Abala Wanga, over allegations that he has been holding office using falsified academic credentials.

For more than five years, these claims have remained unresolved, eroding public confidence in the integrity of Kisumu County’s leadership.

The Public Property Protector (Triple P) has now petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to prosecute Wanga and recover all public funds he unlawfully earned during his tenure.

Following relentless appeals from stakeholders, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) took decisive action, retrieving Wanga’s case file from its Western Region office and transferring it to Integrity Centre in Nairobi.

The Commission, under Chairperson Bishop (Dr.) David Oginde and CEO Mr. Mohamud Abdi, concluded investigations within three weeks and submitted the case to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for legal action.

Despite this, Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o has yet to take action, leaving an individual accused of forging his primary and secondary school certificates in charge of key county operations.

This has sparked outrage, with critics questioning how a county led by one of Kenya’s most distinguished scholars has continued to accommodate a figure whose legitimacy to hold public office is in question.

Wanga has not only remained in office but has been entrusted with oversight of multi-billion-shilling donor-funded projects and was recently granted authority to manage revenue collection across fourteen wards in Kisumu City.

The petitioners argue that this represents a flagrant disregard for transparency, integrity, and meritocracy, raising serious concerns about governance, financial accountability, and the prudent management of public resources.

Triple P has now called on DPP Renson Mulele Ingonga to expedite Wanga’s prosecution and initiate proceedings to recover all taxpayer funds earned under what it describes as a fraudulent tenure.

The group insists that Wanga’s continued stay in office undermines accountability and sets a dangerous precedent, where those who ascend to power through dishonest means can evade scrutiny with impunity.

The petition, widely circulated among key oversight agencies, has been sent to institutions responsible for public finance management and governance, including the Controller of Budget (Dr. Margaret Nyakang’o), the Auditor-General (Nancy Gathungu), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Transparency International, the Commission on Administrative Justice, and the World Bank Kenya Office.

Residents of Kisumu, growing increasingly impatient with what they term a deliberate cover-up by the county government, have vowed to escalate their campaign until Wanga is removed from office and held to account.

Beyond the petition challenging his academic credentials, Wanga has also been at the centre of mounting controversy due to a series of incendiary remarks that have put him at odds with various stakeholders, particularly on matters concerning land ownership in Kisumu.

On multiple occasions, he has openly clashed with landowners, even going as far as issuing direct threats in the presence of senior national leaders.

His most contentious assertion has been that individuals who fail to develop their properties should be compelled to sell them to “people who have money” – a stance that has not only alarmed property owners but also raised concerns about potential coercion and abuse of office.

These statements have been widely condemned as an overreach of his mandate, with critics accusing him of pushing a reckless agenda that disregards private property rights and exposes legitimate landowners to intimidation.