Kalondolondo rates Escom, Water board poor in execution of their services
Programmes manager for Kalondolondo, Jephter Mwanza has rated Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM) and Water board poor in execution of their services and emphasizing there are a number of issues that needs to be sorted out.
Speaking during water and electricity services assessment review meeting at Sun and Sand Holiday Resort in Mangochi, Mwanza said according to the findings there so many issues to be sorted out by the two companies.
For instance, Mwanza said it was revealed during the meeting that Malawians are concerned when it comes to electricity and water connections in their houses and even institutions.
“People wait like forever with some taking two years before they can actually connect to water or electricity. This is a major concern people have registered,” said Mwanza.
Mwanza said another revelation during the assessment meeting was that bills from the two companies to their consumers are not well calculated.
For example, he said in certain cases bills are not presented to the people as some institutions have been paying the same bills all over again.
He also said in certain areas people complained that meter readers do not come to collect meter readings yet bills come out every month.
“There is a lot of suspicious among people. Most of the times when you do not have water for a period of two weeks and persistent blackouts people questioned why the bills are still almost the same,” Mwanza said.
He however, said there is need for communication mechanism between the two companies to their consumers.
He said, currently there is no clear channels of communication especially when consumers have complaints to the two companies.
“In the districts is even worse because they do not divulge any information. They say you have to go through Public Relations Officer. How accessible is the PRO to all Malawians. A PRO is just a person and it is not possible for all the people within the catchment area to be talking to one person,” said Mwanza.
On the way forward, Mwanza said there is need to brought Escom and Water board back to the people in terms of communicating on their intentions, blackouts or water dry outs and coming up with measures that will sustain people’s access to these utilities.
He said the next step after the assessment meeting is to have an interface with Escom and Water board to discuss the issues and come up with a solution to end water dry outs and electricity blackouts.
The Kalondolondo programme is a Civil Society Community Based Monitoring CBM) where communities are trained to assess the levels of service delivery by the government within their communities. These services range from economic, social, health, agriculture, infrastructure development and even education.
Kalondolondo Programme, a consortium of three organizations namely, Council for Non – Governmental Organizations’ in Malawi, Plan Malawi and Action Aid.
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Imagine a big company like Escom telling customers that they can’t connect electricity becoz de transformer is full. Why not shift it 2 where demand is low. Or just buy a new one? Escom are the major contributors of difforestation in Malawi. Provide us with electricity and we wil stop using charcoal for cooking.
This report was a bit subjective towards ESCOM and Water boards. It has missed out on the most inefficient one. To me I see road traffic directorate as the worst. For instance when you go to renew or apply for a mare drivers license, it takes ages to get it. And you can’t compare printing licenses with connecting water or electricity. After going through the due process I wonder why the hustle just to print that card and give it to you. All you are told for months is that siyinabwere. Ayi lero network. All they look for are bribes.… Read more »
Be Mr clear Jephtha or author. Which water board are you talking about? Do u mean northern, central, southern, Lilongwe or Bt or all of them?
Inu A mwanza, munthu wakuba wachabechabe ngati iwe… shut up basi….. coming from wrong person
Let me concur with the report that myself paid K30000.00 for my house to be powered. I paid for connection in 2012 and it is has just been connected. The people in these two institutions are very corrupt and i wonder why the minister responsible for energy does nothing to assist people. In short these two institutions are hopeless particularly ESCOM. Something serious needs to be done to revamp the institution.
Sometimes I wish we had two or more power and water providers so that we were able make a choice in times of despair. ESCOM and water board have realy let us down.
In fact either CAMA or yourself should force Escom to withdraw their Service Charter because they are not abiding by it. Were they forced to have one because staff at their customer care centre here in Lilongwe tell you in the face that the company is nowhere near towards implementing the provisions of the Charter anati analrmba ndi ma bwana without consulting them
Please tell the truth, kumasisita Water board and ESCOM bwanji? The two institutions are very poor on service delivery not only poor. The two institutions have failed failed completely failed. Engineers of the two institution i dont know which college they went to are paid for doing nothing so to are administrative bosses.