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Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga’s plea deferred again, court told he is hospitalised
06th February, 2026 12:01 PM
A Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court has deferred the plea-taking of Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga for the third time after it was informed that he has been taken ill.
Abala was slated to plead to charges over allegations of forging a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate on Friday, February 6, 2026.
The court heard that Abala is sick and was admitted to Kisumu Agha Khan Hospital on February 3, 2026, and there are medical reports to support that.
Appearing before Milimani Anti-Corruption Senior Principal Magistrate Celesa Asis Okore, the city manager, and the legal team sought to have the plea-taking deferred again until he recovers.
“Your honour, for that reason we will be praying for another mention date with the hope that he will have recovered and be able to attend court,” Abala’s lawyers told the court.
Further, they also told the court that he was scheduled for an operation procedure this morning, and he had just informed them that he was preparing for theatre at that time.
“Your honour, I have just spoken to him, and he has told me he’s going to the theatre now, this morning; that makes me not sure when he will be able to come to court,” the legal team added.
They urged the court to grant them 30 days for him to recover before he takes a plea, with the hope that by then he will have fully recovered.
According to court papers, Abala is supposed to be charged with fraudulently acquiring Ksh8,701,091 from the Kisumu County Government between September 22, 2020, and November 30, 2024, while serving as Kisumu City Manager.
He is also expected to be charged with forging and uttering the KCSE certificate bearing serial number 268532 and presenting the forged documents to the Kisumu County Public Service Board in order to secure employment.
Abala, through his lawyer Steve Ogola, told the court that they had written a letter to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) seeking review of the charges to be lodged against him.
“We have written to DPP through a letter dated November 26, 2025, requesting intervention by way of recalling the file and satisfying his file and making it complete and ready for plea, but we are yet to receive a response on the same,” lawyer Ogolla told the court.
The matter will be mentioned on March 2, 2026.
