Escom losing money due to illegal connections
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has expressed concern over the rising cases of illegal connections, which is costing the sole electricity supplier millions of kwacha in maintenance.
Escom chief executive officer John Kandulu, in an interview last week, said the power supplier is registering cases of illegal connections everyday, which is making it hard to concentrate on equally important investments.
“Instead of us investing money in other projects, we are being forced to always take a step backward and channel the money to costs associated with illegal connections such as damaged Escom equipment.
“As a result, some other projects are suffering because this is hindering our efforts to develop,” he said.
Kandulu said among areas prone to illegal connections are markets, which are being gutted by fire of late.
He, however, said the major challenge Escom is facing is the information gap existing between the company and its customers.
“Escom does not have a platform to inform everyone on the risks and issues concerning the company,” he said.
In a separate interview, Escom senior risk manager Andy Chitete said illegal distribution is one of the setbacks in electricity distribution, a situation which needs serious intervention.
