By Our Reporter
The Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) and Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has dismissed Michael Katungi from his role as Commissioner for External Affairs after the United States unsealed an indictment linking him to a multinational arms trafficking scheme allegedly intended to supply one of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) early Thursday morning, Gen Kainerugaba announced Katungi’s immediate removal from both his PLU position and the party’s Central Committee.
“I have decided to remove Michael Katungi as Commissioner for External Affairs of PLU. He is also removed as a member of our Central Committee,” Muhoozi stated. “From now on, only the Chairman will appoint the foreign committees of our movement.”
The decision followed an internal investigation, which Gen Kainerugaba had signaled a day earlier, reassuring PLU members that the leadership would act decisively once facts were established.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Katungi — a Ugandan national with a long diplomatic and security career — is accused of conspiring with Bulgarian, Kenyan, and Tanzanian nationals to supply the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) with military-grade weaponry, including machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, night-vision devices, and anti-aircraft systems.
The CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. in February 2025.
Alleged Plot Spanning Three Continents
Court filings in the Eastern District of Virginia allege that in September 2022, Bulgarian arms trafficker Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, Katungi (also known as Mpeirwe), and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga began plotting to supply the cartel with weapons to facilitate cocaine trafficking into the United States.
Prosecutors say the group fraudulently obtained End-User Certificates (EUCs) and Delivery Verification Protocols (DVPs) — key documents that certify the legal transfer of military hardware — to disguise the cartel as the legitimate recipient.
As part of a “test run,” a consignment of 50 AK-47 rifles, magazines, and ammunition was allegedly exported from Bulgaria to the CJNG using a forged Tanzanian EUC. Plans reportedly expanded to include high-powered surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft drones, and the ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun.
U.S. authorities estimate the proposed weapons deal was worth over €53.7 million (about UGX 200 billion).
High-Profile Career & Political Setbacks
Katungi has previously served as deputy head of mission at the Uganda High Commission, a security logistics officer with the African Union Commission, and a security adviser in Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
In politics, he contested unsuccessfully for Butemba County MP in 2021 as an independent candidate and lost again in the recent NRM primaries.
Reacting to the allegations, Katungi posted on X:
“Ignore with contempt deserved. Mere accusations.”
While three of his alleged co-conspirators — Mirchev, Asumo, and Mwapinga — have been arrested in Spain, Morocco, and Ghana respectively, Katungi remains at large. If convicted, the accused face a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.
The indictment forms part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Operation Take Back America, an ongoing campaign targeting cartel supply chains and international enablers.
The PLU has not named a replacement for Katungi, but Gen Kainerugaba’s remarks suggest tighter central control over foreign committee appointments going forward.
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