Airtel Uganda received the Best PR Campaign of the Year award at the 2025 Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards, or UMEAs, yesterday at Kampala Serena Hotel.
The award recognized the company’s successful management of a reputation crisis following internet criticism led by Dr. Jim Spire Ssentongo concerning alleged fraudulent activities involving Airtel Money.
The recognition highlights Airtel Money’s renewed focus on openness, accountability and faster response times to customer concerns, reflecting efforts in recent months to better support customers, particularly during high-stress situations.
David Birungi, Airtel Uganda’s PR and communications manager, commented on the company’s efforts to prioritize customer needs.
“This recognition affirms the direction we’ve taken as a team,” Birungi said. “Customers want to feel heard and taken seriously. This award shows that our efforts to be more present, more accessible and more transparent are making a real difference.”
In past months, Airtel Money has invested in stronger customer engagement and fraud prevention. The company launched Africa’s First AI Spam Alert service, which uses artificial intelligence to detect and alert customers to spam messages. The service has since detected more than 205 million spam messages across Africa. Additionally, customers can now use the My Airtel App for transaction control and convenience.
Company leaders have also made themselves available on public platforms to answer questions, offered personal reassurance to affected customers and established clearer processes for reporting lost lines and suspected fraud.
A key lesson from recent feedback was the lack of public awareness regarding the proper steps to take when phone lines were compromised. In response, Airtel Money launched a public awareness drive and rolled out internal training to ensure staff can guide customers quickly and confidently.
“The work doesn’t stop with the award,” Birungi added. “It motivates us to keep building simple, reliable ways for customers to reach us and get the help they need without confusion or delay.”
Airtel Uganda is a major telecom operator in Uganda, part of Airtel Africa, providing mobile services (2G, 3G, 4G), data, voice, and mobile money (Airtel Money), known for its extensive 4G network and customer-focused innovations like the My Airtel App. It emerged from Celtel/Zain, acquired Warid Telecom in 2013, and focuses on connecting Africans with reliable, affordable tech, supporting communities through initiatives like STEM scholarships and health camps.