Blackouts get critical in Malawi capital city: Cama slams Escom 

Capital City, Lilongwe is experiencing an unprecedented power cuts, load-shedding going for a day and half in most instances, crippling the economy and negatively affecting the every day life of residents.

In some instances, when the power returns, it comes with force damaging some household property as most people live fridges, laptops and others on in anticipation when power returns at night, it would
recharge the electronic facilities.

Steve Kaira, station manager for Nkula B this week said the load-shedding would be minimised after Egenco worked on all damaged machines.

“By the end of business on Monday, 80 per cent of the power would return and by Tuesday, 100 per cent of the power would return,” he said.

However, this was not the case in Lilongwe.

He explained that Egenco was working on a broken valve during the Easter holiday which rendered most areas in the dark for long hours.

“We were also cleaning the tunnels, we have now maintained most of the  machines and power should now be restored,” said Kaira.

Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) has since taken a swipe at Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) and Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) for extended load shedding despite the provision of diesel generators.

Cama executive director John Kapito said the country is sailing through troubled waters despite having diesel generators which were expected to reduce load shedding hours to a maximum of six hours per day.

“Instead of moving to a better level we are going backwards, and this is coming at a time when consumers have accepted high electricity tariffs which Mera [Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority] approved,” he said.