The Chief of Defence Forces and National Chairperson of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has dismissed Michael Katungi from his roles as Commissioner for External Affairs and member of the PLU Central Committee.

Announcing the decision on his X page @mkainerugaba, this morning of August 14, 2025, Gen Muhoozi stated that Katungi’s role as Commissioner for External Affairs had been terminated.

“I have decided to remove Michael Katungi as Commissioner External Affairs of PLU… He is also removed as a member of our Central Committee,” he wrote.

In the same statement, Gen Muhoozi also centralized authority over foreign appointments within the PLU, stating that only the Chairman would henceforth appoint foreign committees for the movement.

The dismissal comes shortly after the U.S. Justice Department indicted Katungi over a $200 billion arms trafficking conspiracy, allegedly linked to Mexico’s Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

Katungi and several East African and European associates are accused of using fraudulent end-user certificates and verification protocols to disguise illicit arms sales, including a test shipment of 50 AK-47s. Planned transactions allegedly involved rocket launchers, anti-aircraft systems, and drones worth over €53.7 million.

A former Ugandan diplomat and security advisor, Katungi had previously contested the Butemba County MP seat in 2021, losing in both the general election and NRM primaries, before joining PLU leadership in 2024.

If convicted in the U.S., Katungi and his co-accused could face long-term imprisonment for arms trafficking, narcotics distribution, and supporting a designated terrorist organisation.