Airtel Uganda wins top PR campaign award for crisis recovery

KAMPALA, Uganda — Airtel Uganda was named the winner of the Best PR Campaign of the Year award at the 2025 Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards, or UMEAs, yesterday at Kampala Serena Hotel. The company was specifically recognized for its successful recovery and reputation management following a significant public relations crisis.

The award acknowledged the efforts Airtel Uganda took to manage the internet backlash, led by Dr. Jim Spire Ssentongo, regarding alleged fraudulent activities involving Airtel Money.

This recognition highlights Airtel Money’s renewed commitment to openness, accountability and prompt customer concern response. It reflects the work done in recent months to improve customer support, particularly in high-stress situations.

David Birungi, Airtel Uganda’s PR and communications manager, emphasized the company’s decision to prioritize customer needs during the challenging period.

“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 recent months, Airtel Money has invested heavily in strengthening customer engagement and combating fraud. 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 now have transaction control through the My Airtel App.

Company leadership also engaged publicly to answer questions, offered personal messages of reassurance to affected customers and established clearer processes for reporting lost lines and suspected fraud.

A crucial lesson learned was the lack of public awareness regarding the steps to take when phone lines were compromised. In response, Airtel Money launched a public awareness drive and provided internal training to ensure staff could 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.”

The recognition celebrates Airtel Money’s shift toward a more open, community-centered method of operation, which the company said will continue to guide its decisions.