Why World Bank has banned PwC Kenya for 21 months
Business
By
David Njaaga
| Mar 19, 2026
World Bank bans PwC Kenya, Rwanda over fraud in Sh149.8bn Ethiopia-Kenya power project after firms admit to rigging a 2019 consultancy contract. [File,Standard]
The World Bank has barred PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Kenya from its projects for 21 months after the firm admitted to rigging a consultancy contract.
PwC Kenya, its Mauritius affiliate PricewaterhouseCoopers Associates Africa Limited and PricewaterhouseCoopers Rwanda Limited were handed the ban on Wednesday after a settlement agreement in which all three companies admitted culpability for collusive and fraudulent practices on the Eastern Electricity Highway Project, part of the Eastern Africa Power Integration Programme (EAPIP).
The Sh149.8 billion project, funded by the World Bank and the governments of Kenya and Ethiopia, was designed to increase electricity supply and cut costs in Kenya while generating export revenue for Ethiopia.
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According to the World Bank, PwC Associates, PwC Kenya and PwC Rwanda obtained confidential procurement information from project officials to influence the award of a 2019 consultancy contract for the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards at the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation.
The firms also sought to influence the award of a Fixed Asset Inventory and Revaluation contract for the Ethiopian Electric Utility, and misrepresented the qualifications and availability of key experts during the execution of that contract.
The debarment makes the three firms and any affiliates they control ineligible to participate in World Bank-financed projects and operations.
It also triggers cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks, including the African Development Bank, under a mutual enforcement agreement signed on April 9, 2010.
The World Bank noted the debarment period was reduced from the standard sanction in recognition of the companies' admission of misconduct, voluntary internal investigation, action taken against responsible parties, and restraint from bidding for World Bank contracts during settlement negotiations.
As a condition for reinstatement, PwC Associates, PwC Kenya and PwC Rwanda must develop and implement an integrity compliance programme aligned with World Bank guidelines.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Africa Limited, which provides oversight to PwC network firms across the continent, signed the agreement as a non-sanctioned party, acknowledging its oversight responsibility for its members' compliance.