A retired Ugandan army officer who was until recently a close associate of the head of Uganda's armed forces has been extradited to the United States to face charges of conspiring to sell weapons to Mexican drug cartels, the director of Uganda's prisons service told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.
Katungi Michael Mpeirwe, a retired colonel, was handed over to American authorities, prisons director Johnson Byabashaija said. He added that agents sent by US authorities were preparing to leave with the former officer that evening.
On July 30, 2025, Washington unsealed an indictment against Mpeirwe and three other men described as criminal associates, nationals of Bulgaria, Kenya and Tanzania. According to US prosecutors, the group sought to supply various Mexican cartels, including the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, with weapons worth 53.7 million euros.
Arsenal allegedly on offer
US authorities said the arsenal the four suspects allegedly planned to sell went well beyond small arms. Besides machine guns, grenade launchers and anti-personnel mines, the men are accused of intending to provide the cartels with surface-to-air missiles, unmanned aerial systems and anti-aircraft guns.
A source within Uganda's security apparatus said Mpeirwe, known to have served in military intelligence before also pursuing a diplomatic career, was arrested on June 27 in Kololo, an affluent neighbourhood of the capital, Kampala, and brought before a court two days later.
In late August, Uganda's judiciary announced that he would soon be extradited. The attorney general's office said Uganda had agreed to a US extradition request so that Mpeirwe could be tried before the court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Ties to the army chief's inner circle
Mpeirwe is known for having been a close associate of Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of Uganda's army and son of the country's president, Yoweri Museveni. Kainerugaba, who commands Uganda's armed forces, is also a prominent political figure and a frequent, outspoken user of social media platform X.
In March 2023, Kainerugaba announced on X that he was inducting "Michael Katungi" into the central committee of his political movement, at the time praising the "beauty" of its members.
But on August 14, 2025, two weeks after the US charges against Mpeirwe became public, Kainerugaba revoked the appointment and deleted the post.
What comes next
Mpeirwe is now expected to face trial before the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, following Uganda's decision to grant the American extradition request. No date for proceedings was given in the reports of his handover.
