World Bank bans three PwC Africa units for 21 months over fraud

World Bank slapped a 21-month ban on PwC's African arms over straight-up bid-rigging cheats.

Three subsidiaries got iced out

• PwC Associates Africa Ltd in Mauritius took the hit hard.
• PwC Limited, Kenya, joined the debarment list too.
• PwC Rwanda Limited faces the same project freeze now.
• Ban blocks them from World Bank gigs until early release, maybe.

Fraud targeted a massive power link

• Firms snagged secret bid details on the Ethiopia-Kenya line.
• The $1.1 billion project runs 1,068 km of high-voltage cable.
• Goal pushes Ethiopian hydro juice straight to Kenya and its neighbors.
• Eastern Africa Power Pool ties grids across eleven nations.

The settlement cut the punishment short

• PwC owned up to collusive tricks during probes.
• Negotiated deal lets them off lighter for full cooperation.
• They promised internal probes plus firing the guilty ones.
• Extra training and ditching shady sub-consultants got included.

Wider fallout keeps spreading

• African Development Bank and AFD honor the same ban too.
• Big Four firms might catch extra heat on future African bids.
• The World Bank stays ruthless on corruption since 2011.
• Uganda has seen tons of similar debacles before this mess.