Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) says heavy rains and strong winds experienced last week have caused damage to various components of its electricity distribution infrastructure, affecting power supply. Escom chief public relations and communications officer Pilirani Phiri in an interview yesterday said the most affected assets include overhead distribution power lines. He said areas that have recorded significant impact include districts in the Southern Region such as Blantyre, Zomba, Mangochi, Phalombe, Mulanje, Thyolo, Nsanje and Chikwawa, with some parts of the Central and Northern regions also affected.
Said Phiri: “Escom is prioritising fault clearance based on several factors, including faults affecting critical facilities such as hospitals, water supply systems and security installations; outages affecting a large number of customers and faults that pose safety risks to the public.” He said accessibility challenges and technical complexity of the faults are also influencing restoration timelines, especially in areas affected by flooding. Phiri noted that while some faults are cleared within hours, others may take longer where extensive repairs or replacement of infrastructure is required. In a separate statement yesterday, Escom said it had mobilised additional technical teams to areas with high numbers of faults to accelerate restoration efforts.
On the other hand, Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) spokesperson Moses Gwaza said the company’s infrastructure has not experienced any weather-related disruptions and all electricity generation machines are operational. He said teams are fully prepared to manage seasonal challenges and maintain uninterrupted power supply nationwide. “We remain committed to operating our equipment efficiently to prevent any damage or interruptions during this period.
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Should any issues arise, we will promptly inform the public,” said Gwaza. The update from Escom comes amid complaints from consumers over delays in fault clearance, which have resulted in prolonged power outages and low voltage in some. On Monday, residents of Liwonde in Machinga District stormed Escom offices at Liwonde to present a petition after the utility failed to restore power following damage to a transformer by heavy rains and strong winds on December 13 2025.
One of the concerned residents, Shukran Nthipo, said the area has gone without electricity for over two weeks, a situation that has negatively affected businesses and compromised security. Malawi experienced persistent rains during the Christmas holiday, triggering floods in seven districts.
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