Kampala, Uganda: The High Court has temporarily halted extradition proceedings against former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, pending the determination of a judicial review application challenging the legality of the process seeking to surrender him to the United States.
In an interim administrative order issued on July 15, Justice Simon Peter M. Kinobe stayed proceedings in Buganda Road Court Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 0098 of 2026, Uganda versus Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, until the High Court determines Judicial Review Miscellaneous Application No. 619 of 2026.
The order followed an ex parte application filed by Katungi through his lawyers, Medard Lubega Sseggona and Kiberu Abdul Malik.
“It is hereby ordered that an interim administrative order is hereby issued staying the proceedings in Buganda Road Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 0098 of 2026 Uganda Versus Michael Katungi Mpeirwe until the determination of Miscellaneous Application No. 619 of 2026,” Justice Kinobe ruled.
The judge directed Katungi’s lawyers to serve the Attorney General with the application before the close of business on July 15.
The Attorney General was ordered to file an affidavit in reply by July 27, after which Katungi may file a rejoinder by July 30.
Written submissions by Katungi are due by August 4, while the Attorney General must file submissions by August 7. Any rejoinder is expected by August 10.
Justice Kinobe scheduled August 13, 2026, for the ruling on the judicial review application.
The interim order effectively freezes extradition proceedings before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court until the High Court determines whether the process should lawfully proceed.
The judicial review stems from extradition proceedings initiated after the United States requested Katungi’s surrender to face trial before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to a U.S. indictment, Katungi is accused of participating in a transnational conspiracy to supply military-grade weapons to Mexico’s Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), an organisation designated by Washington as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The indictment further alleges that Katungi conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine intended for unlawful importation into the United States, conspired to possess firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices, in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspired to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
U.S. prosecutors also claim Katungi used his connections in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa to obtain End-User Certificates and other arms control documentation to disguise the intended destination of weapons allegedly destined for the Mexican cartel.
They further allege he later offered to use his connections within Uganda and across Africa to secure additional documentation for future arms deals in exchange for a two percent commission.
Katungi has denied all the allegations.
The extradition request was transmitted through diplomatic channels, after which Uganda’s Attorney General advised that the matter could be processed under the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Uganda’s Extradition Act.
Following that advice, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, requested the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court to issue a warrant for Katungi’s arrest, paving the way for extradition proceedings.
Katungi was subsequently arrested and produced before Chief Magistrate Ritha Neumbe, where he objected to the extradition.
His lawyers argued that they had not been furnished with key documents supporting the request and informed court that they intended to challenge the legality of the proceedings through judicial review.
The Chief Magistrate later remanded Katungi and directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to file a substantive extradition application, proceedings that have now been suspended by the High Court.
If ultimately extradited and convicted in the United States, Katungi could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the most serious charges under U.S. federal law.
The indictment remains an allegation, and Katungi is presumed innocent unless proven guilty before a competent court.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
