False: UCC Did Not Restore MTN Before a Planned Shutdown
Claim:
A TikTok post claiming that the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has restored the MTN network ahead of “an official shutdown” in Uganda is false.
The post, shared by KultureKampala, further calls upon MTN Uganda users in its audio to withdraw their money because the company is set to shut down.
The post garnered 30.7K likes, 794 comments, 3114 saves and 7502 shares. The caption reads: “MTN network restored back in Uganda by the UCC. This was because of South Africa jobs denied by Ugandan.”
Background
MTN Uganda, a subsidiary of MTN Group headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, previously explained that their service disruption was caused by an internal power protection mechanism at its Mutundwe Data Centre. The system automatically shut down part of its infrastructure after detecting an abnormal power event on Sunday, July 5, 2026, causing an internet outrage of the public as reported here, here, here and here.
“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. Service restoration is underway, and our technical teams are working to restore all affected services as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding,” the company said in a statement.” Reads an MTN quotated statement by URN
Separately, South Africa has in the past experienced episodes of xenophobic tensions, where some nationals have called for foreign nationals to leave their country and a recent episode being last month where they gave foreign nationals up to June 30, to leave South Africa as reported here, here, here. This incident triggered public reactions in other African countries, including calls to boycott South African businesses operating in other African countries and as well as calls to withdraw their support in the FIFA World Cup. This has fueled misinformation on the different social media platforms.
Evidence
We conducted a search using Debunk’s verifying tool (Debunk Info Verifier) to assess the claim. Using keywords like “Did UCC restore the MTN network ahead of shutting down?” We queried the Debunk Bot and the results showed instances of UCC restoring internet services, these reports were linked to the internet blackout during the January 2026 presidential elections as reported here, here, here not to any planned shutdown of MTN Uganda.
We also reviewed statements from MTN Uganda regarding the reported service disruption. The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sylvia Mulinge, issued a public apology to customers following the nationwide outage.
According to a post on MTN Uganda’s official X account, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sylvia Mulinge, the interruption was caused by a power disruption at one of the company’s data centres, not a cybersecurity incident. She stated that customer data remained secure, Mobile Money balances remained safe, and all affected services have since been fully restored.
While addressing journalists in Kampala, Mulinge described the incident as unexpected and acknowledged that it inconvenienced millions of customers, businesses, merchants, and government institutions that rely on the telecom’s network. She stated: “We are sorry to all our customers and everyone who was impacted. We know many people were greatly inconvenienced, and we sincerely apologise for the interruption.”
This explanation confirms that the disruption was technical in nature, not the result of any directive by UCC to shut down the company.
We conducted media search and analyzed the TikTok video’s caption and audio to verify the claim. While published reports about the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) restoring MTN Uganda services referred to the lifting of internet restrictions following the January 2026 general elections, we found no credible evidence that UCC had announced plans to shut down MTN Uganda or instructed customers to withdraw their Mobile Money balances.
We also found that the video’s caption and audio presented inconsistent narratives, with neither supported by official statements or credible reporting.
We analysed the video’s caption and audio for consistency. We found that the two present different narratives. While the caption states that UCC restored MTN’s network ahead of an “official shutdown,” the audio focuses on an alleged shutdown linked to tensions over jobs in South Africa and claims that customers will be given specific days to access Mobile Money. Neither claim is supported by evidence.
We also examined the credibility of the source that shared the claim. The account’s bio reads: “Creative Laugh Happy educate & general & public” which does not indicate that it belongs to a recognised media house, journalist or an authoritative source on business or current affairs.
This suggests the account is not a reliable or verifiable source of information, and its content should be treated with caution, especially when making serious claims about institutions like the Uganda Communications Commission or companies such as MTN Uganda.
Methodology
We used the following tools to verify the claim:
Info Verifier:
We queried Debunk’s Info Verifier tool using keywords such as “Did UCC restore MTN network ahead of shutting down?” The results referenced instances where the UCC restored internet services, but these were specifically linked to the January 2026 election related blackout not to any planned shutdown of MTN Uganda recently.
Media Search:
We reviewed credible news reports and found that mentions of “restoration” referred to the gradual lifting of internet restrictions during the January 2026 general elections as well, with full connectivity restored after technical and security assessments. No reports indicated any planned shutdown of MTN Uganda.
Comparison of caption and audio content:
We analyzed inconsistencies between the TikTok’s caption and audio. The audio claims MTN is being shut down and urges users to withdraw money, while the caption refers to a restoration of network services. Both narratives are contradictory and unsupported by evidence.
Source analysis:
We assessed the credibility of the account sharing the claim and found it is not affiliated with a recognised media house or authoritative institution, reducing the reliability of the information shared on the account.
Official verification attempt
We examined statements from MTN Uganda, specifically remarks by CEO Mulinge, which attributed the outage to a power related incident and confirmed that services were restored. No mention was made of any shutdown.
Verdict: False
The Uganda Communications Commission did not temporarily restore MTN Uganda. MTN experienced a disruption caused by its internal power protection mechanism at its Data Centre in Mutundwe, and not externally by UCC as claimed. In the event that it exits, there will be a formal communication and time given to its customers to move to another telecom company.