ESCOM developing sustainable development robust customer-centric and robust faults-clearing systems to supplement existing ones 

* In response to serious warning from MERA over poor customer service delivery

* We have expressed to MERA’s letter expressing our regret over the issues raised

* While detailing steps to address them, and measures to ensure their implementation 

By Duncan Mlanjira

Concerns which Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) raised in a letter to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), dated January 13, 2025, were already responded to on January 16 to the regulator.

The supposedly internal industry letter from MERA CEO, Henry Kachaje to his counterpart, Kamkwamba Kumwenda, was leaked to the public yesterday and went viral on social media, which indicated it was a serious warning from MERA to the public power utility company.

Copied to Secretary for Energy, Kachaje indicated that MERA had been observing the continuing poor customer services over some time having received numerous complaints from various customers concerning bad experience of ESCOM service delivery.

They included customers being kept waiting for long periods of time before being attended to when using ESCOM customer care platforms to report faults and that at times customers are completely ignored.

Complaints also reached MERA that ESCOM call centre staff are rude to customers and that some faults staff are demanding money to rectify faults or connect electricity to new customers.

Having been leaked to the public, ESCOM management has since issued a public statement, explaining they had taken note of the serious warning in their response to MERA done 3 days later.

ESCOM says it “regrets the Customer Call Centre’s inappropriate handling of customers seeking fault clearance, delayed fault clearing and new electricity connections, reports of bribery, and corruption involving staff members”.

“We have expressed to MERA’s letter expressing our regret over the issues raised while detailing steps to address them, and measures to ensure their implementation.

“We have also explained to MERA some of the challenges we are facing including that during the rainy season, we have numerous faults on our network and our efforts to clear them are adversely affected by the scarcity of fuel for our vehicles.”

Management thus highlights the steps taken, which include “a warning being issued to all ESCOM Limited employees on January 16 over the inappropriate handling of customers and indeed indulgence in bribery and corruption, among others”.

And that they are “investigating the reports of bribery and that the perpetrators will be dealt with accordingly” as well as setting up an internal steering committee that “is developing sustainable and robust customer-centric and robust faults-clearing systems to supplement existing ones”. 

“We have hired contractors to speed up new electricity connections [and] we have stepped up procurement of construction materials such as meters to clear the backlog of applications for new electricity connections.

“We have stepped up our digital media campaign against bribery and corruption complementing the toll-free line 847 (TNM/Airtel) for reporting such vices.

“We remain committed to improving service delivery, as per our Customer Service Charter,” said the public statement.

Meanwhile, Austin Aufi has been convicted and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour after been found guilty of the three counts of impersonating an ESCOM employee, possessing stolen electricity assets, and facilitating electricity connection illegally.

He is reported to have pleaded guilty to the offense and Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate, Bracious Kondowe, convicted and sentenced him to the 25-year jail term today, January 24.

A report issued by ESCOM’s public relations office, indicates that from the 25-year sentence, 13 years are for illegal connection, four years for being found in possession of stolen Escom assets, and eight for impersonation — all to run concurrently.

The reports says the 27-year-old cleared faults in Lilongwe while posing as an ESCOM technician, and according to Lilongwe Police prosecutor, Damiano Nyasulu, Aufi received K40,000 from a customer in Area 3 after clearing a fault in the name of ESCOM.

The prosecutor told the court that the customer referred Aufi to his neighbour, who also needed an electricity fault cleared, where he presented an identity card with a name resembling one of ESCOM’s employees — “hence the customer believed that he was indeed the company’s employee”.

Aufi is reported to have arrived to clear the fault in full ESCOM gear equipped with a pair of climbers, safety belt, D iron, bolts, socket breaker, screw drivers, knife, gloves and tapes in a bag. 

The prosecutor identified the fault on a pole, fixed it then demanded K40,000 from the customer, who refused to pay, which prompted Aufi to become angry by climbing back up the pole to disconnect the electricity.

His action prompted the customer to report the matter to ESCOM regional security officer, Labani Makalani, who eventually traced the convict after posing as a desperate customer.

Makalani eventually handed over Aufi, who hails from Sumani Village, Traditional Authority Mposa in Machinga District, to Lilongwe Model Police Station where he also pleaded guilty to all three charges.

ESCOM keeps reiterating that being found in possession of stolen ESCOM equipment and vandalising the same are offences that attract a maximum 30-year jail term with no option of paying a fine — as according to the Electricity Amendment Act of 2024.