The arrest of retired Lt Michael Katungi Mpeirwe and the United States' request for his extradition has placed a former political insider at the centre of a high-profile transnational criminal case, raising sensitive legal and political questions for Uganda.
A former External Affairs Commissioner of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), Katungi appeared before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates' Court on June 29 after U.S. authorities accused him of participating in a $58 million arms deal that was busted by an undercover operation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
According to US prosecutors, Katungi offered to leverage his political and security connections to facilitate an arms deal intended for a designated foreign terrorist organisation--allegations he will have an opportunity to contest through the extradition process and any subsequent proceedings in the US.
In an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Katungi is accused of participating in a transnational conspiracy that allegedly sought to supply military-grade weapons to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a powerful Mexican criminal organization.
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U.S. prosecutors allege that the operation involved a network of intermediaries spanning multiple countries and that the conspirators discussed the procurement and transfer of a vast arsenal of weapons, including assault rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, sniper systems, anti-aircraft weapons and military-grade ammunition.
Court documents further allege that members of the conspiracy sought to obtain authentic end-user certificates and other export documentation to disguise the true destination of the weapons.
Prosecutors contend that the group also discussed cocaine trafficking and other illicit activities linked to the cartel's operations. The charges form part of a broader undercover investigation by the DEA which prosecutors say relied on covert meetings, recorded conversations and confidential sources.
The CJNG is widely regarded as one of the world's most powerful and violent transnational criminal organizations. Originating in Mexico's Jalisco state, the cartel has expanded rapidly over the past decade, building a global network involved in cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl trafficking, as well as money laundering, extortion and arms smuggling.
CJNG was formally designated by the United States Department of State as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on 20 February 2025.
Katungi charged
In July 2025, Katungi was indicted by U.S. courts on charges of narcotics and firearms trafficking. Katungi is charged alongside Bulgarian arms dealer Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga.
Although Katungi is a Ugandan citizen, much of the alleged conduct is said to have occurred outside the U.S. Legal experts say American prosecutors are relying on the principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction, which allows U.S. courts to prosecute certain offences committed abroad when they are directed against U.S. interests or violate federal laws with international reach.
Immediately after the indictment was unsealed, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chairman of PLU, replaced Katungi from the Executive Committee. It was a stunning fall from grace for Katungi, who was one of the rising PLU figures.
Just months ago, Gen. Muhoozi had named Katungi as envoy to Haiti as the country's gang violence escalated. Muhoozi is the Chief of Defence Forces and President Museveni's son.
Some commentators have pointed out the striking contradiction between Muhoozi's nationalist rhetoric and the handling of Katungi's case. They question how a retired UPDF officer and senior PLU official could so swiftly find himself facing extradition while the movement chest-thumps about defending Uganda's sovereignty and resisting external influence.
In April 2026, the government of Uganda approved the extradition of Katungi. In a letter to the Chief Magistrate of the Buganda Road Court, Norbert Mao, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said the government considered the request by the U.S. and approved it courtesy of the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, to which both Uganda and the U.S. are parties.
Two months later, the Director of Public Prosecution issued a warrant of arrest for Katungi.
The US Embassy in Kampala directed The Independent to the U.S. Department of Justice for questions about the extradition process. Our queries to Nicole Navas Oxman, the Communications Advisor for International Law Enforcement, went unanswered.
The case has sparked debate on Uganda's sovereignty and the extent to which Ugandans should be subject to foreign criminal jurisdiction.
Katungi is a retired soldier of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) and a former intelligence operative who was involved in high-profile security operations. Legal and security analysts say the extradition has national security implications.
Sejusa speaks out
One of the people that have spoken out on the issue is Gen. David Sejusa, a retired UPDF General and former Coordinator of Intelligence Services, who has condemned the proposed extradition, arguing that Uganda should not surrender one of its citizens to face prosecution in the U.S.
"Can the U.S extradite its National to Uganda to be tried? The answer is never! That's why it is not a party to the ICC protocol; because they can not allow their citizens to be tried by foreign jurisdictions," Sejusa tweeted.
He added that Uganda must evoke what's known as the "Active Personality Principle" where Ugandan citizens are tried at home for crimes they could have committed abroad. The General said Uganda must reject the extradition of Katungi to the U.S.
"Even in the CA, some of us were against these one-way-traffic extradition treaties," he added.
Sejusa's intervention carries particular weight because Katungi was among the individuals who played an important role in facilitating the retired general's return to Uganda following his brief exile in the United Kingdom.
Their longstanding relationship has added a personal and political dimension to a case that is already testing the boundaries between international criminal justice and national sovereignty.
The case has become even more contentious because Uganda does not have a bilateral extradition treaty with the U.S. prompting legal and political debate over the framework being relied upon to process the request.
"America is a bully. There's no reason Uganda should extradite a citizen for a non-existent agreement between the 2 countries. Your friends, @KiryowaKk, should draw lessons from the recently passed Sovereignty Act. Sovereignty is not only a tool to crack down on local people," Yvonne Mpambara, a former presidential aspirant and lawyer posted on X.
"In the same breath, we can't let Turkey extradite Lumbuye Fred Kajjubi back to Uganda. Those planning strikes at the Turkish Embassy to disrupt the peace of hard-working Ugandans should be arrested by police."
The government's handling of the matter has drawn criticism from commentators and legal observers, who argue that the extradition feeds into the perception that Uganda is a puppet state ready to cut backdoor deals to curry favour with the powers that be.
Critics have aimed their guns at Gen. Muhoozi, arguing that the handling of Katungi's case appears at odds with his rhetoric that Uganda will not bend to pressure from foreign powers. Muhoozi has had X exchanges with the US Senator Jim Risch who has called for sanctions on the CDF and a review of U.S-Uganda security cooperation over concerns about governance and human rights.
The apparent willingness to facilitate the extradition sits uneasily alongside official grandstanding about safeguarding Uganda's independence and resisting external influence.
As a matter of fact, Uganda passed the Sovereignty Act in May in a bid to regulate "agents of foreigners" and control foreign interference in Uganda's political, security, and economic affairs. The law was passed days before President Museveni was sworn in for a record-breaking eighth term.
The extradition proceedings mark a dramatic reversal of fortune for Katungi, who until recently was regarded as one of the PLU's most active behind-the-scenes figures. As the party's former Commissioner for External Affairs, he played a key role in shaping its international outreach while maintaining an active presence on social media, where he vigorously defended the movement and helped mobilise support during its formative years.
Prior to the U.S. announcement of the indictment last year in July, the PLU was planning a diaspora conference in September of that very year. And, the event was called off as soon as news of the charges spread.
Katungi's arrest has therefore reverberated beyond the courtroom, thrusting a once-influential political insider into the centre of one of the most consequential transnational criminal cases involving a Ugandan in recent years.
Diplomatic stab
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Before entering frontline politics, Katungi built much of his international career within the African Union, where he served in a series of security and policy roles in Addis Ababa. He worked as a Security Logistics Officer before rising to become Acting Head of the African Union's Security and Safety Division, responsibilities that placed him at the heart of protecting AU personnel, facilities and high-level diplomatic engagements.
His work also extended to continental peace and security initiatives, including participation in investigative and fact-finding missions on regional conflicts and human rights issues. Katungi also worked briefly as Deputy Head of Mission at the Uganda High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria.
Colleagues and official profiles describe him as a security adviser who served across Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania, experience that broadened his understanding of transnational security challenges and strengthened his network within Africa's diplomatic and security establishments.
His AU portfolio reflected a career that straddled military intelligence and international diplomacy. Among his reported assignments were contributions to regional investigative commissions, including enquiries into the 2005 helicopter crash that killed former South Sudanese leader John Garang de Mabior and an AU human rights mission on South Sudan chaired by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Those assignments established Katungi as a security practitioner with experience operating at the intersection of intelligence, conflict resolution and continental governance long before his entry into Uganda's domestic political arena.
In 2017, Katungi sought to contest for a seat in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). However, he later disclosed that President Museveni advised him to withdraw from the race, preferring that he remain within the country's security architecture where his intelligence experience could continue to be deployed.
That same year, Katungi became actively involved in the National Resistance Movement's mobilisation campaign in support of the constitutional amendment that removed the presidential age limit.
Working behind the scenes, he was among the party officials tasked with rallying political support for one of the most contentious constitutional changes in Uganda's recent history, a process that ultimately paved the way for President Museveni to seek another term in office.
