The Ministry of Internal Affairs has warned Ugandans seeking employment abroad that no company in Uganda is licensed to handle job placements or visa processing for countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, or the United States.
This warning comes in the wake of a scam in which Kampala socialite, Christian Asiimwe, alias Don Chris, the proprietor of Skypins Tours and Travel defrauded over 350 Ugandans after promising them jobs abroad.
The victims who parted with between shs3 million and shs20 million lost over shs1.4 billion in total during the job scam.
Don Chris reportedly left the country on June 20 through the Malaba border, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Authorities are now urging him to return and address the growing complaints.
But beyond the individual case, the ministry is using this incident to sound the alarm on a broader issue.
“There is no tours and travel company in Uganda that is licensed to handle American or British visas. None,” said Simon Peter Mundeyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “We don’t have such a company primarily formed to handle Canada, to handle the UK, to handle America. The companies operating here are doing generic work.”
Mundeyi emphasized that while some Ugandans may have successfully traveled through agencies like Skypins, these are isolated cases and do not validate the operations of unlicensed entities that promise overseas jobs.
“We have, for sure, seen about seven Ugandans who have gone abroad using Skypins. Some went to the Netherlands, others to Dubai. So maybe he was doing a good job at some point. But we just want him to come and explain,” Mundeyi said.
The Ministry warned that many Ugandans are falling victim to scams because they invest their money in promises of high-paying jobs abroad without verifying the legitimacy of the agencies involved.
“Before you engage any company to take you abroad, whether for work, tourism, or anything, first check with the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development,” Mundeyi urged.
“Is this company registered? Is it legally operating in the country? Let us have this information before people end up donating their life savings to scammers.”
