The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has turned down a proposal by Mzuzu City Council to change their streetlights billing from commercial to domestic tariff.
The proposal comes in the wake of challenges the council has been facing to pay monthly bills of K1.8 million for lighting city streets.
Mzuzu streets are mostly dark at night due to the council’s failure to generate enough revenue to meet expenses for streetlights.
Speaking in an interview, Deputy Mayor for Mzuzu City, Councillor Alexander Mwakikunga, expressed concern over Escom’s billing system and insinuated that the council is being overcharged.
“We buy airtime from Escom to light the entire city. We spend not less than K1.8 million to light the city for a month. This is a lot of money because Escom is overcharging us. Therefore, we are yet to meet them to reconsider their charges for us. We are not commercial as they think,” Mwakinguka said.
But Escom Public Relations Officer Kitty Chingota clarified that streetlights in Mzuzu are on a split prepaid metering which is under commercial tariff.
Chingota says general or commercial tariff is the correct billing for such accounts.
“Our revenue officer went to Mzuzu City Council where he had a discussion with the Assistant Director of Finance [Mr. Mwagomba] on the matter of over-billing. He clarified that their complaint is on the tariff at which the streetlight accounts are being charged.
“Currently, the accounts are on general/ commercial tariff and this is the correct tariff for such accounts. Streetlight accounts are on general/ commercial tariff and do not qualify to be on domestic tariff,” Chingota said in response to a questionnaire.
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