The World Bank Group has announced the debarment of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Rwanda Limited and its affiliates in Kenya and Mauritius for 21 months due to “collusive and fraudulent practices.”
The sanction, effective March 18, 2026, renders the firm’s ineligible to participate in any projects or operations financed by the World Bank Group. The move follows an investigation into procurement misconduct related to the Eastern Electricity Highway Project, a regional energy initiative designed to connect the power grids of Ethiopia and Kenya.
According to the World Bank’s Integrity Vice Presidency (INT), the firms improperly obtained confidential procurement information to gain an unfair advantage in a consultancy contract. The investigation also revealed that PwC misrepresented the availability and qualifications of key experts in its proposal and failed to disclose the use of certain subconsultants.
“PwC Associates, PwC Kenya, and PwC Rwanda obtained confidential procurement information from project officials to improperly influence the award of a consultancy services contract in 2019 for the implementation of International Financial Report Standards for Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation.” world bank said in a statement.
The 21-month debarment is part of a settlement agreement in which the PwC entities admitted to the misconduct and committed to internal reforms. The World Bank noted that the firms have already taken disciplinary action against the staff involved and are overhauling their compliance programs.
The “debarment with conditional release” means the firms must meet specific integrity standards before they can be reinstated. Furthermore, the ban is eligible for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks, including the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), potentially broadening the impact across the continent’s infrastructure landscape.
PwC’s regional leadership has reportedly begun a “deep-cleaning” exercise of its public sector consulting arms to prevent future breaches. This high-profile exit from the Bank’s procurement list marks one of the most significant regulatory actions against a “Big Four” firm in East Africa in recent years.
