Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has sacked Michael Katungi Mpeirwe from his positions as the movement’s Commissioner for External Affairs and Central Committee.
The sacking follows a U.S. federal indictment charging Katungi and three other foreign nationals with a sweeping arms trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Gen. Muhoozi, who runs the Patriotic League Uganda (PLU) as a cousin of his father’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), indicated on his social media platform X that he had removed Katungi as a member of the group’s Central Committee.
According to the indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia, the four individuals allegedly conspired since at least September 2022 to supply the Mexican drug cartel CJNG with military-grade weapons, including machine guns, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft systems.
The CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025.
U.S. authorities say Katungi, identified in court documents as Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, was part of an international procurement chain that used fraudulent documents to disguise the weapons’ true destination.
The indictment details a test shipment of 50 AK-47 rifles from Bulgaria and outlines plans for further deliveries valued at over 53 million euros.
While arrests have been made in Spain, Morocco, and Ghana, Katungi remains at large. If convicted, the defendants face a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment U.S. federal prison.
The case, investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is part of “Operation Take Back America” and received assistance from international law enforcement agencies.
Gen. Kainerugaba stated that going forward, only the chairman will appoint members of the PLU’s foreign committees.
The People’s League of Uganda (PLU) is a patriotic movement focused on serving Uganda and its people, not on material gain. It’s distinct from the Uganda Premier League which is the top-flight football league in Uganda. The PLU is a pressure group led by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba which aims for political change in Uganda.