Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development Wycliffe Oparanya addresses elected and nominated leaders from Western Kenya during a consultative meeting at the Grand Royal Swiss Hotel in Kisumu on September 7, 2026, where leaders endorsed President William Ruto’s bid for a second term and discussed regional political and development priorities.

📋 Breaking It Down

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) acted irregularly and unconstitutionally when it reversed its decision to prosecute former Kakamega Governor and current Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya over alleged corruption involving Sh56.7 million, the High Court has ruled.

Justice Benjamin Musyoki said that the ODPP improperly reviewed the decision to charge Mr Oparanya without sending alleged fresh evidence back to investigators at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

“Only after the EACC investigated the alleged fresh evidence would the ODPP be constitutionally mandated to make a decision based on the same,” Justice Musyoki said, declaring the ODPP’s July 8, 2024 decision null and void. He also issued an order quashing the decision to review the intended criminal charges against Mr Oparanya.

📌 What You Need to Know

The court, however, declined to nullify Mr Oparanya’s nomination and appointment as Cabinet Secretary, finding that Parliament had vetted and approved him and that there was no evidence before the court that the constitutional process had been breached.

Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya.

The dispute arose from an EACC investigation into allegations that Mr Oparanya received Sh56.74 million from directors of companies that secured contracts from the Kakamega County government during his tenure as governor between 2013 and 2022.

EACC investigated the allegations and recommended charges of conspiracy to commit corruption, conflict of interest, abuse of office and money laundering.

The ODPP initially concurred with EACC’s recommendation in December 2023, but reversed that decision in July 2024, weeks before Parliament vetted and approved his nomination as Cabinet Secretary. The EACC had notified Parliament of the intended prosecution before his vetting.

Als Read:  Blow to Wycliffe Oparanya as EACC tells Parliament not to approve his nomination to Cabinet

📰 Source: Nation Africa