KAMPALA, Uganda — Telecommunications giant MTN Uganda has attributed widespread service disruptions on Saturday to a major power outage at one of its data centres, affecting voice calls, internet connectivity and Mobile Money services.
In a statement posted on social media, the company said technical teams were working to restore services following the incident.
“Following a major power outage at one of our data centres earlier today, a segment of our customers experienced disruptions to voice, data and MoMo services,” MTN said.
The telecom operator apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that restoration efforts were underway.
“Service restoration is underway, and our technical teams are working to restore all affected services as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.”
The disruption left many customers unable to access internet services, complete Mobile Money transactions or make calls for several hours.
Stanbic Bank customers also affected
At around the same time, customers of Stanbic Bank Uganda reported difficulties accessing a range of banking services.
The bank acknowledged experiencing network-related challenges, saying several digital channels had become temporarily unavailable.
According to Stanbic, the disruption affected internet banking, mobile banking, ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, FlexiPay services and other digital platforms.
The bank did not immediately disclose the cause of the outage but said technical teams were working to restore normal operations.
Online speculation grows
The near-simultaneous disruptions at two of Uganda’s largest financial and telecommunications institutions quickly sparked speculation on social media.
Some users questioned whether the outages could have been caused by a cyberattack, while others wondered if the incidents were connected because both companies have South African corporate links.
“First was MTN Uganda, now its cousin Stanbic seems to have the same disease. Hackers?” one user wrote on X.
Another asked:
“First MTN then Stanbic Bank. What are the odds?”
Despite the speculation, neither company has suggested that a cyberattack was responsible, and no evidence has emerged publicly linking the two incidents.
Also Read: Uganda grapples with surge in power outages, Energy ministry explains causes
Technology analysts caution that service outages can result from a variety of causes, including power failures, hardware faults, software errors or disruptions involving third-party infrastructure providers.
Experts note that simultaneous outages affecting separate organisations do not necessarily indicate a coordinated cyber incident.
However, the disruptions have renewed attention to the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure as Uganda becomes increasingly dependent on electronic communications, mobile payments and online banking services.
By Saturday evening, both MTN Uganda and Stanbic Bank Uganda said engineers and technical teams were continuing efforts to restore services.
Neither company had provided additional details on whether the outages were related or when full service restoration would be completed.
