By Nyandema Mhango
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has introduced a toll-free number, 847 for customers to report bribery incidents within the organisation.
This initiative aims at addressing allegations that some employees are demanding money from customers to expedite electricity connections and attend to reported faults.
Writing on ESCOM’s official Facebook page, Chief Operations Officer of ESCOM, Maxwell Mulimakwenda strongly condemned the malpractice and urged all customers to report any such incidents.
He stated: “I want to assure our customers that we do not allow our officers or employees to demand payment for electricity connections or fault resolutions as these services are provided free of charge. If you encounter this malpractice, please call 847 and report it,” said Mulimakwenda.
Mulimakwenda disclosed that ESCOM has suspended employees found guilty of these practices, with some being terminated from their positions.
One resident from Area 25, Sector 5 in Lilongwe, David Mkandawire commended the initiative, sharing his personal experience of being asked for a bribe to have electricity connected to his two houses.
“I don’t know how to express my happiness. Now, I will be able to connect electricity to my two houses without anyone asking me to pay so much. Imagine, I was asked to pay K1.5 million for them to connect my house to electricity,” he claimed.
Mkandawire disclosed that for that reason he was forced to buy a solar energy system as he could not afford to pay K1.5 million for his two houses which was just too much for the installation of electricity.
“When they told me to pay K1.5 million, I told myself I’m not doing it, I will wait until it gets cheaper. I knew probably because our area is just developing so they take advantage of it, considering that right now a lot of houses have solar energy systems this side because they can’t meet the demands,” Mkandawire said.
ESCOM has also been actively posting on its Facebook page to reinforce its stance against bribery and encourage customers to report any misconduct.
