KAMPALA, Uganda — September 4, 2026: Uganda has formally moved to surrender retired Lieutenant Michael Katungi Mpeirwe to the United States to face trial on charges involving cocaine trafficking, firearms and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
The development follows a Warrant of Surrender signed on September 1, 2026, by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao, days after the Chief Magistrate’s Court at Buganda Road cleared the way for Mpeirwe’s extradition.
The warrant directs Ugandan authorities to release Mpeirwe from custody and hand him over to an authorised representative of the United States for transportation to the US, where he is wanted before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division.
Mpeirwe is the subject of US criminal case United States of America v. Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, Michael Katungi Mpeirwe and Subiro Osmund Mwapinga, registered as Case No. 1:25-CR-102 (AJT).
The US Government formally requested his extradition through diplomatic channels in a Note Verbale dated December 23, 2025.
Three US charges
According to the extradition proceedings, Mpeirwe faces three charges in the United States.
The first is conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, with the indictment alleging that the conspiracy involved cocaine intended for unlawful importation into the United States.
The second charge concerns conspiracy to possess firearms, including a machine gun and destructive device, in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
The third is conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
The surrender warrant describes the organisation as a designated foreign terrorist organisation, while the earlier extradition proceedings identified it as Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.
Court clears extradition
The latest executive action follows a ruling by the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Buganda Road on August 28, 2026.
Chief Magistrate Ritah Kidasa Neumbe found that the application by Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), acting on the US extradition request, had met the legal requirements under Uganda’s Extradition Act, Cap. 124.
The court subsequently committed Mpeirwe to prison pending his extradition.
Mpeirwe had raised a series of preliminary objections seeking to challenge the proceedings.
These included objections concerning the procedure used to initiate the extradition case, the authority of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Solicitor General to process the US request, a claim of diplomatic immunity and an argument that the DPP lacked legal standing to conduct the proceedings.
The court rejected the objections.
On diplomatic immunity, the court held that such protection applies in the receiving state where a diplomat is accredited and does not extend to proceedings in Uganda or in third countries.
The court also affirmed the constitutional mandate of the DPP under Article 120 of the Constitution to institute and conduct proceedings on behalf of the State.
Evidence threshold met
The court also dealt with an affidavit previously filed by Michael D. Stanton in support of the extradition application.
The affidavit was expunged from the record after Stanton failed to appear for cross-examination.
However, the court found that the remaining evidence—including an affidavit by D/SSP Kule Yona and authenticated documents supplied by US authorities—was sufficient to satisfy the legal threshold required for committal under the Extradition Act.
The ruling effectively cleared the legal hurdle for Uganda to proceed with Mpeirwe’s surrender.
From court ruling to handover
The September 1 warrant represents the next stage in the process.
By issuing the warrant, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs formally directed that Mpeirwe be surrendered to the Government of the United States to stand trial for the offences for which his extradition was authorised.
The warrant further directs the Commissioner General of Prisons, or an authorised officer, to release Mpeirwe into the custody of an authorised US representative and facilitate his lawful transfer out of Uganda.
The case highlights the growing cooperation between Uganda and the United States in pursuing transnational criminal cases involving international drug trafficking, illicit firearms networks and terrorism financing or support.
For Washington, the surrender would allow Mpeirwe to be brought before a US federal court to answer the allegations against him.
For Kampala, the case demonstrates the operation of Uganda’s extradition framework and the role of its judicial and executive authorities in responding to formal requests from foreign governments.
Mpeirwe remains entitled to the protections and legal processes applicable to him under US law as he proceeds to trial.
