In the wake of Jim Spire Ssentongo’s #StopAirtelTheft campaign that is attracting intense public scrutiny, Airtel Uganda’s PR manager, David Birungi, published a write-up in the Daily Monitor that many observers have interpreted as nothing more than threats.
Responding to the concerns raised by customers about Mobile Money theft under the #StopAirtelTheft campaign on X, Airtel Uganda issued a statement on 11 August 2025, dismissing the allegations as “misleading, unwarranted and calculated… to create needless worry or panic.” Assuring users of the platform’s safety, the company emphasised that Airtel Money is regulated by the Bank of Uganda and urged customers to use official complaint channels. The statement also called on the public to disregard and ignore what it described as “exaggerated statements.”
Noting that the official statement avoided the central issue, Dr Jim Spire Ssentongo maintained his stance on how thieves access Airtel Money accounts and, in some cases, like his brother’s, even secure loans without knowing his PIN. He criticised Airtel Uganda for labelling the concerns as “exaggerated statements,” referring to it as a defensive posture rather than addressing the breach. In the comment section, many described the response as “corporate gaslighting” and “PR fluff,” noting no apology, no plan to fix security flaws, and no accountability.
Meant to calm the storm, the 11 August statement sparked further public outrage. Many customers accused Airtel of shifting blame by overemphasising PIN safety while ignoring possible insider involvement or deeper system loopholes. Several posts under the hashtag even called for a boycott of Airtel Money, claiming the company cared more about its image than protecting customer funds.
In a bid to address matters, on 12 August, Agora Discourse, a digital public square co-founded by Jim Spire Ssentongo, announced that Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda’s MD, Japhet Aritho, will join Ssentongo for an X (Twitter) Space on Thursday, a chance for customers to ask questions directly. Some viewed this approach as a unique test of corporate accountability, others as a risky PR exercise for Airtel.
While the public awaited the X Space, on 13 August 2025, the Daily Monitor published an opinion article by Airtel Uganda PR Manager, Birungi David, titled “Dr Spire Ssentongo Both Right and Wrong on Airtel Money.” The piece praised Ssentongo for highlighting consumer protection failures while arguing that he bypassed formal complaint procedures outlined in the National Payment Systems (Consumer Protection) Regulations, 2022, implying that those who engage in campaigns like #StopAirtelTheft could face legal trouble and end up in the dock.
Under Section 22 of the above regulations, customers dissatisfied with a payment service provider’s resolution are meant to escalate their complaint to the Bank of Uganda.
Birungi also noted that there was no formal police report in Kayinga’s case and warned that encouraging the sharing of transaction records online risked breaching Section 35 of the Personal Data Protection Act, 2019.
The article cautioned that while public campaigns can raise awareness, they can also be perceived as smear tactics or even criminal if they bypass established legal and regulatory channels. It defended Airtel’s complaint-handling systems as in line with national and international standards.
Charging Birungi’s article with misrepresenting the campaign and showing disregard for genuine customer grievances, Ssentongo hit back. He asserted the piece adopted a “propaganda PR strategy,” gaslighting and scapegoating customers as ill-motivated smear agents, instead of addressing business and security concerns.
Jim Spire further faulted Airtel for framing the campaign as a “smear,” calling it a “disastrously misplaced PR” tactic that distracted from the underlying issues. Ssentongo reaffirmed that public pressure was necessary, noting that formal complaint channels alone had not delivered solutions. He added that the #StopAirtelTheft campaign would continue until Airtel acknowledged systemic problems and implemented meaningful safeguards.
Several online commentators have interpreted Birungi’s opinion piece as an example of common PR practices in Uganda, where PR personnel first reach out to complainants through DMs to “negotiate,” sometimes offering money. If the complainant resists, they often resort to public threats or attempts to discredit them.
With Thursday’s X Space fast approaching, the standoff between Airtel and Ssentongo is becoming another test case for the extent to which public activism can force accountability in Uganda.
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