The K2.4 billion Makanjira Community Hospital in Mangochi was reportedly connected to electricity only for its official opening, leaving the facility without power and unable to serve patients weeks after its commissioning.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ben Phiri officially commissioned the hospital on October 26, 2026, in what was expected to improve access to healthcare for people in Makanjira.
However, three weeks after the ceremony, the hospital was still not operational, with medical personnel unable to use its facilities because it lacked a permanent electricity connection.
According to a report published by Malawi News, electricity was temporarily connected to the hospital specifically for the commissioning ceremony at the request of authorities.
An insider told the publication that ESCOM could not maintain the supply because the hospital had no electricity account, making it impossible for the utility to bill the facility.
The report further indicates that Mangochi District Council had not even submitted an application for an electricity connection, raising questions about how the hospital was prepared for commissioning before essential services were in place.
The power shortage has left critical departments, including the theatre, labour ward and X-ray room, unusable, denying residents access to the healthcare services the facility was built to provide.
The controversy has also exposed questions about the project’s planning and funding, with a district council official reportedly confirming that no money had been allocated for the hospital’s operations in the current financial year.
Meanwhile, Phiri has promised that electricity will be restored within 48 hours, saying he had followed up on the circumstances surrounding the disconnection.
