Socialite Don Chris Arrested Over Shs 2B Overseas Job Scam After Year on the Run

City socialite Christian Asiimwe, popularly known as Don Chris, has reportedly been arrested by police detectives in Kampala, ending more than a year on the run over his alleged involvement in a massive overseas employment fraud scheme.  

Asiimwe, the former director of Skypins Tours and Travel, was apprehended overnight and detained at Munyonyo Police Station. Video footage circulating on social media showed the flashy socialite in handcuffs following a covert intelligence-led operation that tracked him down.  

Reports indicate that Asiimwe returned to Uganda quietly without public fanfare after spending over 14 months outside the country primarily hiding in South Africa following a wave of public outcry and police investigations in mid-2025.  

Asiimwe’s arrest reopens one of the country’s most high-profile labor recruitment scandals. Police investigations into Skypins Tours and Travel began in June 2025 after dozens of desperate job seekers petitioned the State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara. Minister Barugahara subsequently referred the matter to the Kampala Metropolitan Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID).  

According to CID reports, Skypins advertised lucrative overseas employment opportunities in high-demand destinations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.  

Victims, mostly young Ugandans, paid between Shs 3.5 million and Shs 10 million each for visas, air tickets, medical exams, and job placement. The company also offered a deceptive “travel on loan” package, allowing clients to pay half the fee upfront and settle the balance after securing work abroad.  

While early police estimates put the number of victims at 85 with losses around Shs 500 million, the tally quickly ballooned to over 350 complainants, with total financial losses estimated between Shs 1.75 billion and Shs 2 billion.  

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Police and Ministry of Internal Affairs investigations previously revealed that Skypins Tours and Travel was never licensed by the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development to operate as an external labor recruitment agency.  

When victims attempted to demand refunds or updates on their travel status, the company abruptly shut down its main offices at Haruna Mall in Ntinda and relocated to Kitende along Entebbe Road before abandoning the premises entirely.  

As pressure mounted in June 2025, Asiimwe fled the country through the Malaba border crossing into neighboring Kenya before making his way to South Africa. Despite being on the run, the socialite remained vocal on social media, denying sole ownership of the firm and setting conditions under which he would return to face authorities.

Detectives believe recent xenophobic unrest in South Africa pushed Asiimwe to return to Uganda covertly, where he remained in hiding around Munyonyo and surrounding suburbs before police finally closed in on him. The Resident State Attorney has already sanctioned charges of obtaining money by false pretenses against him.