KAMPALA, UGANDA — The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has cleared the way for the extradition of retired Lieutenant Michael Katungi Mpeirwe to the United States, where he is wanted to face trial over serious drug trafficking, firearms and terrorism-related charges.

In a ruling delivered on Friday, August 28, 2026, Chief Magistrate Ritah Kidasa Neumbe dismissed the preliminary objections raised by Katungi’s defence team and found that the Ugandan government had met the legal and evidential requirements for his committal under the Extradition Act.

The court ordered that Katungi remain in custody pending a decision by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on his surrender to the United States.

Three Charges in the United States

Katungi is wanted before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he is expected to face three counts arising from an alleged international criminal conspiracy.

The charges include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilogrammes or more of cocaine, conspiracy to possess firearms—including a machine gun and destructive devices—in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

According to the U.S. extradition request, the organisation allegedly involved is the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a Mexican criminal organisation designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organisation.

U.S. authorities allege that Katungi and his alleged co-conspirators were involved in efforts to obtain and supply military-grade weapons in connection with narcotics trafficking.

Defence Challenges Rejected

Katungi’s lawyers had challenged the extradition proceedings on several grounds, including the procedure used to initiate the case, the involvement of government officials, the role of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a claim of diplomatic immunity arising from Katungi’s previous diplomatic service.

The Chief Magistrate rejected the objections, holding that the proceedings had met the requirements of Ugandan law. The court also ruled that Katungi could not rely on diplomatic immunity to prevent the extradition proceedings because his diplomatic service was in Nigeria, while neither Uganda nor the United States was the receiving state for purposes of the claimed immunity.

The court further found that the Director of Public Prosecutions had the authority to conduct the judicial phase of extradition proceedings under Uganda’s Constitution and the Extradition Act.

Court Was Not Determining His Guilt

Importantly, the Buganda Road Court stressed that the extradition proceedings were not a trial to determine whether Katungi was guilty or innocent of the allegations made against him.

Instead, the court was required to determine whether the evidence and documents presented by the requesting country met the legal threshold for committing him for extradition.

The court found that the authenticated documents submitted by the United States could be relied upon under Uganda’s Extradition Act and that the principle of dual criminality had been satisfied.

Minister to Make Final Decision

Although the Chief Magistrate has cleared the judicial stage of the extradition process, Katungi's actual surrender to the United States will depend on the next stage of the process and the decision of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

For now, Katungi remains in custody as the government moves to the next stage of determining whether he will be surrendered to U.S. authorities.

The case has attracted significant attention because of the seriousness of the allegations and Katungi’s previous public and diplomatic roles.

However, the charges against him remain allegations at this stage. Katungi is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty by a competent court in the United States.

The decision marks a major development in a case that has been closely followed in Uganda and the United States, with the next major question now being whether the minister will approve his surrender.