Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has removed Michael Katungi from his role as Commissioner for External Affairs and expelled him from the organisation’s Central Committee, following his indictment in the United States.
Katungi was indicted by Washington over alleged arms trafficking, drug cartel ties, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
In a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Gen Muhoozi announced:
“I have decided to remove, Michael Katungi, as Commissioner External Affairs of PLU. He is also removed as a member of our Central Committee. From now on only the Chairman will appoint the foreign committees of our movement.”
The decision comes days after Gen Muhoozi’s initial public reaction to the controversy, when he said:
“I am waiting for an internal report on our Commissioner for External Affairs. As Chairman of PLU, I shall take the final decision on his position amongst us. Our members do not have to be concerned about anything.”
Background
Katungi — full name Michael Katungi Mpeirwe — is wanted in the United States after a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia unsealed an indictment charging him alongside a Bulgarian arms trafficker and two other foreign nationals.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the four are accused of: conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to possess firearms, including machineguns and destructive devices, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
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Prosecutors allege that since at least September 2022, Katungi conspired to supply military-grade weaponry — including machineguns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines, and anti-aircraft weapons — to the Mexican Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of the world’s most violent drug cartels.
Court documents say Katungi acted as a link in an international network that sought to conceal the weapons’ true destination by fraudulently obtaining an End-User Certificate from Tanzania. A test shipment of 50 AK-47 rifles was allegedly sent from Bulgaria using this falsified documentation. The group is also accused of discussing a weapons list worth approximately €53.7 million ($58 million), including surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft drones, for the cartel’s use in cocaine trafficking to the U.S.
The CJNG was officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. on February 20, 2025. If convicted, Katungi faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life. He remains at large.
Katungi, a former military officer turned political operative, was appointed PLU Commissioner for External Affairs to lead international engagements, but his tenure has ended abruptly with today’s announcement. PLU insiders say the move reflects a shift toward tighter central control, with Gen Muhoozi now reserving the exclusive right to appoint all foreign committees.