Marep 9 budget jumps from K40bn to K70bn

By The Daily Times Last updated May 29, 2023

Acting Director of Energy in Ministry of Energy Joseph Kalowekamo disclosed this on Thursday when officials from the ministry appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate change. Kalowekamo said that rolling out of Marep is expected on from July 31 this year. Parliament has since asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau to…

Government has disclosed that Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (Marep) 9 implementation budget is expected to jump to K70 billion from K40 billion.

It attributes to delays in the implementation of the programme and the kwacha devaluation.

Kalowekamo said that rolling out of Marep is expected on from July 31 this year.

In the original plan, Marep 9 was supposed to start on October 1, 2020 with construction of Marep sites expected to finish by September the same year.

Kalowekamo said that the project is expected to be completed in March 2024. He also told the committee that the ministry still expects the contractors who received 30 percent advance payment to supply the materials.

Parliament has since asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate six contractors that have failed to deliver after receiving advance payment.

Chairperson of the committee, Werani Chilenga, ordered the ministry to ensure that the companies deliver by August 31, 2023.

“Six firms that were contracted to supply items have completely failed to deliver. Marep 9 has delayed to rollout due to that,” Chilenga said.

Almost all committee members took to task the ministry officials for the delays in the project, accusing them of sabotage.

In 2021, the ACB ordered the Ministry of Energy to restart the procurement process for the supply of materials after lifting a restriction order on the procurement process on allegations of corruption.

Marep started in 1980 with Escom as the implementing agency through donor and own financing. Later, government took over implementation of the programme in 1995 and the Department of Energy was appointed implementing agency.

The programme is executed in phases. Since its inception, eight phases of the programme have been implemented.

The project is meant to extend power distribution lines to district administration centres, major trading centres, tobacco growing areas and the development of the 4.5MW Wovwe hydroelectric power plant.

The objective of Marep is to increase access to electricity for people in peri-urban and rural areas as part of government’s effort to reduce poverty, transform rural economies, improve productivity and improve the quality of social services.