Court Rejects Katungi's Bid to Halt Extradition Proceedings

What the report says

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ritah Kadasa has allowed extradition proceedings against Michael Katungi to continue, rejecting a bid by his lawyers to pause the case while a separate constitutional challenge is still pending. The ruling means the magistrate’s court in Kampala will keep hearing the United States’ request for Katungi’s surrender, even as other court processes related to the extradition remain unresolved.

According to Nile Post, Katungi’s legal team, led by Medard Ssegona, argued that the case should be put on hold until the constitutional issues are decided. The defence said Katungi has no criminal case before Ugandan courts and questioned the basis for extradition in the absence of a reciprocal treaty. State counsel opposed the request, saying the defence had already participated in the proceedings and should not use a pending application to delay them.

In her ruling, Kadasa said that simply filing an application for a stay does not automatically suspend a case. She also cited the need to avoid undue delay and said she saw no exceptional reason to stop the proceedings at this stage. However, she noted that the separate stay application itself is still scheduled for hearing on 31 August 2026.

Katungi, a former UPDF officer and former official in the Patriotic League of Uganda, is wanted by US authorities over allegations tied to an international narcotics and firearms trafficking conspiracy. Ugandan authorities approved his extradition in April 2026, and the case continues amid constitutional and procedural challenges.