Malawi electricity price up by 13.7 %: Kapito brands hike as ‘stupid’
Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) has announced that power prices have been raised by 13.7 percent from the current average of K35.69 to K40.59 per kilowatt-hour with effect from November 1.
Malawians are expected to dig deeper into their pockets following the hiking up of electricity tariffs with Consumer rights activist John Kapito accusing the state-owned Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi
(Escom) of failing to improve the service delivery and that the hike is “wrong”.
Kapito has faulted Mera for succumbing to Escom’s proposal and branded the decision as “stupid.”
He said consumers should not pay for inefficiencies at Escom.
Kapito wondered why Mera chose to endorse the increment at a time the country is experiencing
the intermittent and prolonged blackouts.
”I regard Mera as stupid for failing to consider the consumer. Malawians are already paying high tariffs and yet are not getting the service they paying for,” argued Kapito.
Kapito said it was surprising that Mera approved the increment when Escom has failed to meet the set Key Performance Indicators (KIPs).
”It seems Mera is colluding with Escom to rip off poor Malawians instead of focusing on protecting the interest of consumers by ensuring that Escom improves its services first before calling for tariff increase”.
He added: ”There is no clear justification as to why we should have tariff increment now when has Escom failed improve the quality of services since the first tariff increase”.
Addressing a news conference in Lilongwe, Mera board chairperson Dingiswayo Jere said it approved Escom’s request to implement a second tranche of 18.39 percent after considering the performance of the service provider.
According to law, electricity tariffs are reviewed every four years and since Mera Board was elected in 2008 there has been two electricity base tariff reviews.
The first base tariff increase was for years 2009 to 2013 while the second one is being implemented in phases during the years 2014 to 2017.
The energy regulator said it has reviewed the impact of the movements in the macroeconomic fundamentals of exchange rate and inflation before effecting the hike.
Jere that that the 13.7 percent electricity tariff increase is part of the 18.39 percent increase which the energy sector regulator approved with effect from 1 July, 2015 “ intended to catalyse a financially health and self-sustaining electricity sector that is capable of generating sufficient revenue and credit worthiness for Escom at fair and reasonable tariffs to end users.”
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Malawi has become a country of economic measury for its citizens. 0f all the countries in he sadeck region, Malawi is the only country where every thing is expensive. The government has not put anything in place to cushon the odinary citizens Instead, costs of running parastatals like escom are passed on to the citizens who are alread strugling on meager salaries. We will be told the tarrifs we are charged are the lowest in the sadec region. This is not true Malawians are travelling to many sadeck countries and we see that Malawi has the highest rates in every sector that seles goods and services. To make it worse the services are poor in most cases. Take the example of ESCOM blackouts every day and you ask yourself How many times in the past were tarriffs raised in the name of increasing revenues base in order to improve the efficiency of providing elecdtricity to the custimers. Have we ever seen that improvement? All we have experianced has been worsening of the electricity situation in the country. Water board chimodzimodzi. Mitengo yokha mmwambaaaaaa.No customer care. when you go to enquire delayed connections you are told lies if you are luky, or they will solicit a bribe from you for them to make the connection. Akaona kuti iwe zabribe siukulolera, even kuyankhidwa mwano. Tikane kupereka bribes and report to their boses. Tilembe zotelezo pa website zawo za escom and waterboard.
as I am talking now we are in blackout 3am shutting down why sabotage to DPP government CSO please organise a demo to Escom now now
Koma nzake pp iwalani. JB kulalata too much. Ma wailesi apumako.
What does ESCOM do with the money they earn? It is the only monopoly supplying electricity in this country – why is it failing to improve the services? No competitors – yet the company’s books are in shambles! Where does the money go?
After waiting and asking for connection for over 20 years, I gave up asking ESCOM to supply electricity to my house. The technicians wanted me to pay bribes to do the job and yet I had paid for the survey, electric poles and related charges. This is deplorable. ESCOM is one of the most corrupt organizations I have come across!
By the way, ESCOM could adopt a graduated connection fee structure (instead of corruption). Very urgent connections (within 3 days) could be charged more than those that can be connected within 1 week; then a lower fee for 2-3 weeks and so on. Some extra revenue could be genetated that could accrue to ESCOM instead of the pockets of corrupt employees. Services could also improve by employing additional staff without increasing electricity tariffs. Efficiency can be improved tremendously by installing pre-paid meters.
Going forward, it is time for ESCOM to develop “renewable” energy sources especially wind power and solar energy.
It is also time for ESCOM to seriously consider decentralizing power supply when developing renewable energy sources. For example, power supply zones that can be created based on considerations of efficiency in connectivity and volumes of demand.
stupid zedi
The govt wants to score a political point, just wait malawians, when u’ve cried and cried enough, mr president will just say mera dont effect de raise…n u’ll hear d japies, the bamusi’s saying w@ a listening president.
Not good at all
ESCOM is busy making money for APM campaign in 2019. I have a message for them. God’s plan is not theirs. God will intervene.
You are planning to assassinate me when I return after killing millions of Malawians by imposing economic hardship. God will punish you. Once I return, you will see PP will transform Nyasaland, the land of misfortunes
By now all the houses should have been fitted with prepaid meters to prevent you ruthless sticky meter readers from disconnecting innocent consumers for no reasons. No customer care at ESCOM. No reliable electricity supply. Why the hike? You take Malawian for fools to fill you corrupt big bellies. Stupid MERA and ESCOM.
This Escom 13.7% rise is the most stupid MERA has approved. Escom has money in people’s houses. Many people have built houses for which they have applied for Escom power connectivity, but to the disappointment of many, it is failing to do the work because of corruption. Money is being stolen in broad day light for shortcut power connections where one has to sacrifice more money than the recommended connection fee.
MERA wake up and first of all you have conducted a secret survey why so many applicants are not yet connected because there is already money if all new connections were done in an honest manner.
Stupid MERA indeed.
Ndiye chilengedwe chibwelera choncho? Abale wotchani makala!!!
This company is playing around with Malawians’ intellect and thinking capacities. This time around you are showing us that incapable of making decisions inorder to protect its citizens from exploitation by inefficient service providers like you. The other goods will siliently be increased and Malawians will contnue to suffer silently. Enough is enough. we will go into the streets.
13.7% of deforestation. You tell charcoal sellers to stop the business yet you do not want to tell them the alternative. Now electricity is hiked, which way to we go? Of course to the charcoal seller.
Koma naa
ineyo ndimazivela chisoni why tingomenya basi atsogoleli anja osakonda anthuawo.
TIDZIPHIKIRA MAKALA , KUSINTHA KWA NYENGO KUKAVUTA KUTIVUTA TONSE,
Malawians taken for granted. Where will the ordinary man get the addition resources to meet the new tarrifs? The farmer has already sold their produce many months ago at a dog’s price and the civil servant’s perk remains static. Elsewhere this would call for a national-wide strike where Escom’s tranformers would be burnt to ashes. A very insensitive govt. Onani mkamwamo!
stupid escom indeed!
veru ligumburious kkkkkk stupid akuchepera mphamvu.ESCOM magetsi anazima kalekale amayaka akafuna ndiye azikwezabe ?chitani manyazi choonde…….
this is realy stupid! you are just good at diging in consumers pockets, you should first consider your stupid poor service delivery.
Very shortly we will here of strikes wanting salary hike. Consider average Malawian earnings. People will now reduce the use of electricity and use more charcoal and fire wood. Who do you blame. You Policemen and forestry Guards do not confisticate charcoal at road blocks. I cant understand how you people do things. You confisticate charcoal at the road block but five hundred meters in front of the road block you see them selling charcoal and you just look at them. Ndamva kuti amagulitsa makala amene inu mumalanda.
Dziko akamatsogolela anyani ndi momwe limakhalila. Ziphwisi zokazokha
Kwacha devaluation is the cause , and the cause of excessive devaluation is becauzse of Chuka and GG have made a deal with exporters to hoard 100% of there export proceeds, they by exporters ripping of the banks when selling there dollars, who is benefitting not malawian exporters but Limbe leaf JTI Africa leaf foriegn owned companies and who is suffering 16 million Malawians. BRAVO Governemnt for these uselless and stupid policies. Even JB was clever enough not to introduce these policies
amalawi tiri pamavuto osaneneka uope escom uope waterboard uope MRA uope polisi uope akuba uope boma uope akazi ako kapena amuna ako tithawira kuti abale
Kodi iwe kitty chinseu amakuwazira mundima kapena mmagetsi ndi kuda kwakoko
A escom akweza ma rate are blackout osati magetsi tingoyitana afana aku joni muzaziwanso azatiphunzitse strike yeniyeni
Yemwe akukhala advocate wa ma Donors nayenso ndi chitsiru. Ma Donors mayiko awo anatukula ndi slave labor forced labor ndi colonialism. for over 500 years akuba ma resources a mayiko mwina at the barrel of a gunwith the help of stupid africans under thangata. Atamaliza anakusiyirani ma leftovers awo ndi kumanama kuti akuthandizani.so ma donors apite akadye mphutsi ndi ma cholaboys awo osekerera neo colonialism. 50 years can not compare to the 500 plus years yomwe anausinga slave labor. Yemwe akufuna demonstration ayesere awona ma stars a mbuyake. Yemwe anapita ku abroad and say that Malawi ndi dziko lokanika khala konko amkaidi wa azungu ukafa utipeza. Escom ndi kampane Yathu ikulephera chifukwa cha ndale, ndi Ndalama. Osamango yankula za nkutu. Ngati zikuku pwetekani, kwezani mitengo nanuso. Mahule akwezaso mitengo.
A sign of failing leadership
‘according to Law the tarriffs are reviewed every four years” but the only review in Malawi is just to increase the tariffs, anyani!!!!
Escom Trash yokhayokha ndipo mulibe manyazi…….there is no value for money but rather value for Blackouts
Wogulitsa mpunga akakhalapo yekha amatchaja m’mene akufunira, chifukwa amadziwa kuti ufune usafune ugulabe. Chimodzi modzi ESCOM itabwera kampani ina mwina sizintha. Akukweza mtengo koma ukalipira pali chaka asanabweretse.
Ichi ndiye chamba chenicheni. Kukweza magetsi kukufanana ndi kukweza mafuta. Zinthu zikwera mtengo chifukwa cha kukwera kwa magetsi. Kodi ife a Malawi tipange chiyani? Msonkho wa PAYE ndi waukulu komanso wa VAT ukupezeka pali ponse ndiye tithawira kuti? Kodi kubadwira ku Malawi ndi thembelero la likulu eti? Kodi amene wasayinira kuti magetsi akwere ndi ndani? Timadziwa kuti kuli bungwe la MERA komatu bungwe limeneli palinso kumene limakapeleka malipoti ake. Kodi kumene amapeleka malipotiko anavomeleza kuti magetsi akwere? Nanga anazindikira kuti zotsatira za kukwera kwa magetsi zikhala zotani pa chuma cha dziko la Malawi?
Pofunika ma Demo basi ationjeza ndipo akunyozetsa boma
MALAWIANS ARE STUPID LAZY GREEDY PEPO. JUST IMAGINE WHERE ARE WE GOING TO GET THE EXTRA MONEY TO PAY FOR EXPENSES OF THESE BASTARDS. WAKE UP MALAWI WE NEED ANOTHER DEMO.
yuo will be wondering kuti anthu andale ndalama amazitenga kuti its our money we are paying even their salaries its not fair both Escom and Water Board you know that mungofuna kutidyerapo apa zinaz muziona kukweza magesi its not a solution hhaah
Ndisadzawone BLACK-OUT kuyambira pa 1 NOVEMBER 2015 – mudzatimva madzi. Red Army idzatulukanso. FITSEKE! Ndapsa mtima kwambiri
M’MALAWI KWAKE NDI KUGONA/KUGUNATA/KUPUSAetc. Kapito is trying his best to fight for us but ifeyo tili ngwindiiii pheeee as if all is well. STUPID ESCOM STUPID malawians for just watching. NO politics here. Ndakwiya coz zithu zafika poipa izi. My salary yathanso kale November tisanayambe…imagine!
I support Kapito. ESCOM has no legal mandate to raise tarrifs when daily we are experiencing black-outs. When he calls for a march aginst this unfair tarrifs I will personally join him. Enough is enough ESCOM.WATER BOARDS ARE INCREASING TARRIFS SKY HIGH where DO WE GET SOLACE.
Mr President,wake up from the slumber and hear the cry of Malawians.
Sitinati tiliradi zenizeni Goodall afuna cash uyu.poti tinafuna tokha.
Dziko likakhala kuti anthu ake ndi ogona andale amalionelera
Dear malawians,
You bustards have been helped far too much. Budget support, global funding, health sector, education sector etc. It’s time you shold stand on your own two feet and deal with life. Your are more 50 years old after independence, can’t you start sorting out your own problems than to expect aid?
Nkhuni zikasowa tizigwetsa pa polo. Ma Blackout amenewa it’s safe even to perch myself on the electricity lines. Tit for tat.
kapito is true ….thats stupid
Makala nde agulidwa…mitengo nde ithadi. No wonder an ESCOM Vehicle was Captured in spirit carrying sacks full of charcoal.
Nanga a Mayaya akuti bwanjI? Demo ina Mayaya apanga liti?
so all of you goonies are fighting over Escom electricity – Escom only reaches 10% of the population – who cares about the 90% of Malawians???????????
You toothless Kapito…fwefwefwe…nothing will change. Just be quiet and let Malawians deal with it.
Blackouts everywhere now lets hike the tarrifs to invite investors in malawi,nzeru za anthu ophunzira ku america izo!!
south Africa style basi…demo mpaka president rescind decision ya fees hike. ife amalawi kwathu ndikumangotokota pa nyasa times basi. za chamba. We need to action.
They always think of how to rip money from Citizens.
Kapito action not words now v r tired now I think u r bought by dpp
All they want ate expensive vehicles. They cant feel pain because they get hefty salaries allowances and use free electricity. They cant feel what Malawians are going through.
A Escom nanu mukukweza mtengo wachani? Magetsi amangothima chisawawa. Self sustaining Energy yake ya mu Shire river yomweyi. Tidzingogula nkhuni ndi Makala and destroy the trees kenako ma foreigners azagula ESCOM at a discounted price. Akagula a kweze mitengo ndikutidyera masuku pamutu. I khalala water Board angosintha dzina ikhale Blantyre Drought board. Ma bwana a Black out and loadshedding dzina chabe.
Nawenso iwe kuyipa ndiwe galu mbuzi meeee zimene zikuchitikazi zokwela magesi zikusangalasa? Nyani yopanda nzeru iwe. Kapena ndiwe mbava eti? Asaaaa. Ulibe mano ndiwe
Dpp woyeee, boma iloooo. Tiona mbwaza mu malawi muno. Chuma cha dziko chavuta, magetsi madzi zadula koophsya. Ngati ife a mtown tikulira nanga a ku midzi alira bwanji? Umbava wakula chifukwa ndalama yavuta. Ngati apolice akuombeledwa ndi mbava nanga ife anthu wamba zikhala bwanji? Kukweza magetsi pamene chuma sichikuyenda bwino zoooona? Abale tithawile kuti??? Apm woyeeee. Tikadalira sitinati.
DPP Woooyee!!!!!!!!, MERA Woooyee!!!!!!!!, ESCOM Woooyee!!!!!!!!, ‘ BOMA is a serious business’ DPP Woooyee!!!!!!!!, Woooyee!!!!!!!!, boma!!!!!!!, boma!!!!!!!, boma!!!!!!!, boma ilo!!
Zanuizo inendiye kwanuko ndinathawako.
Kkkkkkkkkk,a Malawi tsopanooo,kkkkkkk,kuliraa kumeneko?tiyeni nazonii,dziko lovetsaa chisoni,dziko lokanikaa,dziko lachinyengoo,dziko losakondedwa ndi eni akee,ndipo likuyenda lokhaa,nanenso mawaa ndikweza katundu wangaa wa business ndi 15%,palibensoo ondiletsa ine,pa nyasaland,kkkkkkkk..thumbs up to mayaya..your a true patriot.
Escom,should Malawians be paying more for electricity or BLACKOUTS ? This is utter nonsense. Can’t government act on this issue and defend poor Malawians from being robbed of their money by this organization so called Escom ? With this poor power supply, can we attract foreign investors ?
2014 munangoti chongu pa DPP and why are u crying now. zanu izo
Tisadandaule A Malawi Anzanga This Is What We Were Looking For On May During That Election,school Fees Akweza, Magetsi Akweza Next Ndi Madzi, Fuel And Chimanga Just Wait And See. Mayo Kalanga Ine Masakhasakha A Mzanthu Akumwera Atipweteketsa
Mpaka 2O019 WOO mukunya a amalawi.
KAPITO CLEARLY JUST HATE JERE AND IS FULLY AWARE WHO IS TO BLAME MUKUCHENJERA KWA OPUSA NDIPO MUKUPUSA KWA OCHENJERA
ONLY THIS ONE WINA ACHOKA PA MPANDO TIYENI NAZO.
Mapwevupwevu, your skull is full of mucus and you don’t even deserve to breath. Your time is up, stupid mother fucker.
Why should we pay for their failures? This is very stupid indeed. Let’s do something guys. Civil servants, please rise up and be counted. Akutitola agalu amenewa.
A Kapito sindidziwa ngati zimene mumalakhula zingasinthe zinthui. Ngat zidalephera za MSB sindikuonapo munthu yemwe angaimitse maganizo a bomali. Liseyeni liyende. Sinikuonaxo chipani choimitsa bomali pa 2019. Adzapuma kufuna kwawo, anthu awa nakwatakwe. Mungathe kunitsimikiza ndithu.
Izi ndiye zofunika ma Demo zija chifukwa tonse zatikhudza.Tisamangodikira a Kapito okhayi,tiyeni nazo amalawi anzanga.
Malawians need to migrate to other lands, it is time to leave, as mother malawi is dying now. We do nit feel tge love feom this mother any more. It is her own children who are killing her.
A kapito munali kale inu pano nkamwamo a APM akhoza kuseweletsamo chofukwa mano mulibe anaguluka .
Komabe sitikudandaula ndi kuguluka mano kwanu,Bamusi,Mambala ndi ena chifukwa kukhala chete kwanu kwabadwa ma activist 50000 ndipo mutinva.
Nawenso iwe kuyipa ndiwe galu mbuzi meeee zimene zikuchitikazi zokwela magesi zikusangalasa? Nyani yopanda nzeru iwe. Kapena ndiwe mbava eti? Asaaaa. Ulibe mano ndiwe
Mr Kapito is correct in the tone and rationale for his criticisms here.
People have already lost trust in Escom, and now this? The managers there should personally feel ashamed of their lack of skills. Atikwana (we are sick of paying, even more now, for a service that does NOT exist in actuality; they should even be not proud to say “I am an engineer or manager at Escom)
And the minister ultimately responsible for Escom should jump in here, and say “NO”.
It has been suggested, even on these pages, that if Akweni Kaliati looked after Escom and BWB, there would soon be an uptick in their performance. Like her or not, Akweni is focused, has a sense of urgency, and is also results oriented.
President APM, what are you waiting for? Time is running out. Real quick.
stupid government, stupid president everything abt this govt z stupid n becoming stupider n stupidest each passing day. Stupid DPP.
Chonchi mkumati anthu asiya bwanji kugwiritsa Ntchito makala. Akuyambitsa ndi a ESCOM pokweza magetsi.
MERA’s Dingiswayo Jere should end the justification as…’so as escom employees enjoy hefty salaries and poshy vehicles’
This is past 9 bv we r still in blackout same with yesterday wat kind of Malawi r we?
Yambani kuphikira nkhuni.malo modandaula za chimanga ukudandaula za magesi? Kodi anthu a midzi ali ndimagesi? Zipulumutseni nokha.
Please don’t blaim MERA blaim APM.kapito you stupid mera has nothing to do with the economy of malawi, if the resources of electricity are high what do you think they have to do? Screw yourself malawi coz you don’t want APM to resign.Anthu wokakamira president wosaganizira mavuto anthu.
KAPITO IS ANOTHER TOOTHLESS BARKING DOG.
ANALI KUTI DZULO KU DEMO YA MAYAYA.
STUPID LOMWE IMBECILE
Boma lathu lili mumanja mwa agalu, they only see poor people as source of their revenues
This is stupidity at its peak
apa nde mukutionjeza tsopano!. l pay around 10 grand and l budget also around 2 bags of makara because of blackouts… is this not enough? mukundionjezatu magayi bwanji kodi? kapito just propose date,this time demo siyimwa ngati ya mayaya don’t be cheated. . alah! inu eti
Kukhala m’malawi ndi kupilira eish ife tizingosaukilabe salary ndi yomwe ija
PLEASE ORGANISE NATION WIDE CONSUMERS STRIKE IMMEDIATELY BCOZ THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. KUTOLA AMALAWI ETI? (THEY WANT TO BUY MORE EXPENSIVE CARS …..
Kapito is the stupid person! He expects ESCOM to get rid of blackouts without increasing tariffs?
What a stupid retarded imbecile!
When you sit in the comfort of your boardrooms, where the hero do you think Malawians are going to get the money? It hurts me to see that Malawian companies think the only way to improve business profitability is by increasing prices of commodities and services. This a very wrong kind of business thinking. It is punitive to consumers and retrogressive to economic growth. Ever heard about efficiency? Ever heard about economies of scale and economies of experience? Businesses may choose to be profitable by introducing efficient systems of operations. Drive down costs while maximizing sales. With small unit margins a large sale translates into huge profits. Unfortunately MERA and Escom economists do not seem to understand such simple concepts. Escom should thanks the monopoly space that it is in. Given its performance if it were in a competition Escom would have been history by now.
Zopusa zimenezo review that as soon as possible
This is realy a stupid decision.
Ivory cost President alasane Ouatara has won the elections with 83% and that’s a clear intellectual win unlike what happened with our own fake and useless professor who boasts of having won with a clear rigging 36%, of which no any single parent would boast of having a child to have passed with such a percentage unless the parent is just useless as the dpppp party is. I end my case here.
More fire Kapito, indeed MERA is more than STUPID!!!!!, it is SILLY!!!!!.
A zigayo nonse, kwezani!
These people are really stupid and
Useless
I paid for electricity connection long long time ago
But they cant connect electricity up to
Now
Useless and Thieves !!!
Really ESCOM is STUPID!