* The intensive national electricity disconnection campaign for all post-paid customers in Southern and Central regions is a critical component of ESCOM’s revenue mobilisation, aimed at recovering an estimated K16 billion in accumulated arrears
* These funds are essential for sustaining our operations and ensuring the continued delivery of reliable power supply across the country
By Duncan Mlanjira
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), under newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Eng. William Kaipa, will carry out a mass electricity disconnection exercise from Monday, April 4 for all with arrears, including government Government Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) and state-owned enterprises.
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In a public notice issued today, March 30, management indicated that the intensive national electricity disconnection campaign for all post-paid customers in Southern and Central regions is “a critical component of [ESCOM’s] revenue mobilisation, aimed at recovering an estimated K16 billion in accumulated arrears”.
“These funds are essential for sustaining our operations and ensuring the continued delivery of reliable power supply across the country— and thus ESCOM emphasises that the campaign will specifically target all accounts with outstanding balances of 120 days and beyond for the MDAs, parastatals, commercial entities and private households.
“In the event of disconnection, power will only be restored after full settlement of the outstanding arrears and payment of the applicable reconnection fees,” says the notice, while stressing that ESCOM remains “committed to powering the nation, but this is only sustainable when all beneficiaries fulfill their payment obligations”.
“We, therefore, appeal to all customers with accumulated debt to clear their accounts through our authorised payment channels immediately to avoid the inconvenience of disconnection.”
Under CEO Kaipa, who began his tenure to overhaul the country’s power utility service provider on April 1, ESCOM is undertaking several reforms, which include its-dedication-to-reducing-power-outage-frequency-and-duration/ — in acknowledgement that the significant and frequent power outages being faced across the country, are having an impact on households, businesses and the national economy.
On April 20, the company issued a public statement indicating that this will be done through “urgent operational improvements and sustained infrastructure investment”, which need sound financial base.
