Airtel Uganda has raised concerns over the country’s growing reliance on digital services, warning that increased digitalisation is exposing Uganda to greater cyber threats.
Speaking at the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference in Kampala, Airtel Uganda IT Director Uwagboe Ehimwenman called for the establishment of a national cyber resilience framework to help prevent, detect, respond to and recover from cyber-attacks.
Ehimwenman said mandatory information sharing, regular cybersecurity drills and stronger protection of critical digital infrastructure are necessary because an attack on one institution can quickly have implications for other sectors.
He warned that cyber-attacks are no longer simply an information technology problem but a broader threat to the economy, given the telecommunications sector’s critical role in banking, digital payments, government services and other essential activities.
Ehimwenman also urged organisations to regularly test their backup and disaster recovery systems rather than waiting for a cyber-attack to determine whether the systems are effective.
The call was echoed by Milton Sabiti, an IT Forensics Manager at the Uganda Revenue Authority, who said cyber incidents can directly affect government revenue collection and therefore require stronger collaboration among institutions.
According to the Uganda Communications Commission, Uganda has 45.7 million active mobile subscriptions and 17 million mobile internet subscriptions.
The country also recorded more than 1.58 million malware infections in the 2023/24 period, highlighting the growing scale of cyber threats as digital services continue to expand.
By Charles Katabalwa
14th Aug 2026
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