MTN Uganda Explains Mobile Money Outage, Assures Customers Their Funds Remain Secure
MTN Uganda has confirmed that the Mobile Money service disruption experienced on 5 July was caused by a power failure at one of its data centres, while reassuring customers that their account balances, transaction history, and personal information remained fully protected throughout the incident.
The company’s leadership, including Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Mulinge and MTN MoMo Uganda Managing Director Phrase Lubega, addressed the media following the outage, apologizing for the inconvenience experienced by customers, businesses, merchants, and Mobile Money agents who depend on the platform for everyday financial transactions.
According to MTN Uganda, the disruption temporarily prevented customers from sending and receiving money, making payments, and completing other Mobile Money transactions. The outage also affected businesses and merchants by delaying payments and limiting their ability to serve customers.
The company emphasized, however, that the incident impacted only service availability and did not compromise the security of the Mobile Money platform. Customer funds, transaction records, and personal data remained safe throughout the disruption.
Speaking during the briefing, Lubega reassured customers that no financial information or account balances were affected, stressing that the interruption was purely a technical service availability issue.
CEO Sylvia Mulinge also apologized for the disruption and announced measures to support affected customers. These include compensation for eligible subscribers whose voice and data bundles expired unused during the outage, in line with MTN Uganda’s customer care policies and applicable regulatory guidelines.
The telecommunications provider further confirmed that it is working closely with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and the Bank of Uganda as part of the post-incident review and recovery process.
Joseph Bogera, MTN Uganda’s General Manager for Sales and Distribution, said the company remains committed to supporting customers, Mobile Money agents, merchants, and business partners while continuing to invest in improving network resilience and service reliability.
MTN Uganda thanked customers for their patience during the interruption and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its Mobile Money infrastructure to deliver secure, reliable, and uninterrupted digital financial services across Uganda.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What caused the MTN Uganda Mobile Money outage?
MTN Uganda said the disruption was caused by a power failure at one of its data centres, which temporarily affected the availability of Mobile Money services.
2. Were customer funds affected during the outage?
No. MTN Uganda confirmed that all customer balances, transaction records, and personal information remained secure throughout the incident.
3. What services were impacted?
The outage temporarily disrupted Mobile Money transactions, including money transfers, payments, and merchant services, affecting customers, businesses, and Mobile Money agents.
4. Will affected customers receive compensation?
Yes. MTN Uganda announced that eligible customers whose voice or data bundles expired unused during the outage will receive compensation in accordance with its customer care policies and regulatory requirements.
5. Is MTN Uganda working with regulators following the incident?
Yes. The company confirmed that it is engaging with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and the Bank of Uganda as part of the post-incident assessment and recovery process.
6. What is MTN Uganda doing to prevent future outages?
MTN Uganda says it is continuing to invest in strengthening its infrastructure, improving service resilience, and enhancing the reliability of its Mobile Money platform to minimize future disruptions.
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