Uganda: Court Gives DPP Nod to Extradition of Ugandan Katungi to the U.S.

What the report says

A Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court in Kampala has ordered former Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldier Michael Katungi Mpeirwe into Luzira prison while Uganda’s Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister considers whether to extradite him to the United States. The case, reported by The Independent and carried by AllAfrica, concerns a U.S. request tied to allegations of cocaine trafficking, illegal firearms possession and support for a Mexican drug cartel and a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Chief Magistrate Ritah Kidasa Neumbe ruled that the government had met the legal and evidential threshold required under Uganda’s Extradition Act. The court dismissed Katungi’s preliminary objections, including claims about the procedure used to start the case, the role of the Ministry of Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions, and his argument that he was protected by diplomatic immunity. The judge found that administrative issues in the court’s electronic filing system did not undermine the case and said extradition hearings may be conducted in a manner similar to criminal proceedings.

According to the article, U.S. authorities want Katungi to answer charges in the Eastern District of Virginia arising from an alleged international drug and weapons conspiracy. The request says he and co-accused attempted to supply military-grade weapons alongside narcotics trafficking. The ruling does not end the matter; the minister’s decision is still required before any surrender can take place.

The case is significant because it tests Uganda’s extradition procedures and the interaction between domestic law, diplomatic claims and foreign criminal requests. More broadly, extradition cases of this kind often draw attention to cross-border drug enforcement and the role of courts in reviewing whether a foreign request meets local legal standards.