Enigmatic life of Don Nasser: Dating tycoons' daughters, multi-billion scams

Today, Tuesday, October 8, he was remanded again and is set to remain in custody until October 23. Nasser is accused of working with Promise Gatete to transport a 16-year-old girl from Tagore Apartments at Acacia Mall, holding her captive in the Kito-Kira division for three days. When it was announced that he was being hunted, he initially fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo before relocating to Nairobi, Kenya.

Over the years, the socialite, whose real name is Nasser Nduhukire and who hails from the Sheema district in western Uganda, has made headlines for both good and bad reasons.

Nasser, who once attempted to pursue a singing career, previously claimed to own a Rolls Royce worth approximately Shs2 billion, and he reportedly spent around Shs30 million on a night out and Shs200 million on his son’s birthday party. In 2018, he was found hiding in the ceiling of an apartment while evading arrest for defrauding $8 million in a fake gold scam. At the time, he was said to be 32 years old and had acquired the 2017 Limited Edition Rolls Royce, with reports varying on its value between Shs1.7 billion and Shs1.1 billion.

In addition to the Rolls Royce, Nasser owned a fleet of luxury cars, including a Range Rover Vogue, Range Rover Sport, Mercedes ML 4Matic, BMW X6, FJ Cruiser, 4Matic Convertible, and a GLE 63 Coupé, most of which bore personalised number plates reading ‘NASSER’.

He was reportedly the only individual in East Africa to own that specific model of Rolls Royce at the time. According to reports, Nasser resided at Speke Apartments in one of the most luxurious and expensive suites. Prior to that, he was reportedly based in Dubai, where he claimed to run his own company, Shine Properties, which supposedly deals in real estate in Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.

Ever since he emerged on the social scene, Nasser has been one of the most talked-about figures, with much speculation surrounding the source of his wealth, considering his flashy lifestyle. Reports suggest that Nasser accumulated his wealth through a series of street-smart scams, including one in which he allegedly swindled $5 million from a Dubai-based businessman. At the time, he was reportedly dating the late singer AK47’s widow, Nalongo Maggie Kaweesi, and they allegedly collaborated to obtain the money, although Maggie has denied these claims.

Don Nasser is also said to have dated tycoon Mutaasa Kafeero’s daughter, Masitullah Mutaasa, following her breakup with her American partner, Steve Nanney.

Nasser has at times claimed to be a civil engineer by profession, and there is a road in Kira Municipality named after him, known as ‘Nasser Lane’, which leads to his lavish mansion. Nasser also owns Shine Properties. Some reports indicate that he once posed as the son of Hassan Basajjabalaba to defraud the son of the Fairway Hotel owner in 2011, selling him fake gold and earning $3,500 from the deal.

Nasser is also alleged to have dated a Sudanese woman, previously linked to Simon Rusoke (former owner of the now-defunct Koko Bar), to scam her by convincing her and her relatives to invest in his fake gold deals. After securing the money, he reportedly fled to Hong Kong with the assistance of fellow socialite Cheune.

In 2018, while profiling how Nasser accumulated his wealth, New Vision reported that he had been remanded to Kigo Prison for obtaining money by false pretence from Johnny Hill, a 56-year-old American, defrauding him of $700,000 in a gold scam.

In 2022, reports surfaced that Nasser had established a modern tea factory in Kyamuhunga, which is said to have significantly improved the livelihoods of residents.