Politics has made many Ugandan legislators household names. For Francis Zaake, however, it has also left visible scars, writes Derrick Wandera & Dorothy Nalumansi.

Until this week, when he was elected chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Government Assurances, many believed his political career had peaked—and perhaps declined—after his dramatic removal as an Opposition representative on the Parliamentary Commission in 2022.

Instead, the appointment marks another remarkable comeback for a politician whose public life has been defined not by comfort, but by confrontation. Ironically, among the government officials who will now appear before his committee to account for unfulfilled promises is former Speaker Anita Annet Among, under whose leadership Parliament voted to remove him from the Commission.

Few politicians of his generation have endured as many arrests, hospitalisations, court battles and violent confrontations with security agencies while maintaining an unwavering presence at the centre of Uganda’s opposition politics.

At 35, Zaake is beginning his fourth consecutive parliamentary term after retaining the Mityana Municipality seat in the 2026 General Election, extending a political career that has become synonymous with resilience, controversy and political sacrifice.

His story is one of a village boy who rose through student leadership, challenged Uganda’s political establishment before turning 30, and became one of the country’s most recognisable opposition figures.

From Butebi village to Parliament

Born on January 12, 1991, in Butebi Village, Mityana District, Zaake is the son of Emmanuel Ssembuusi Butebi and Teddy Naluyima.

He attended Fairway Primary School before joining Mityana Modern Secondary School for his O-Level studies. He later completed his A-Level education at Merryland High School, Entebbe, before enrolling at Ndejje University to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Procurement and Logistics Management.

Leadership came early.

During the 2015/16 academic year, fellow students elected him Guild President, a position that sharpened his activism and introduced him to national politics.

Only months after graduation, the youthful politician contested the Mityana Municipality parliamentary seat as an Independent candidate.

At just 25, he defeated seasoned politicians to become one of Uganda’s youngest Members of Parliament, signalling the arrival of a new generation of legislators determined to challenge the political establishment.

The People Power years

Zaake’s political profile expanded rapidly after joining the People Power movement led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine.

As the movement gained momentum across the country, Zaake emerged as one of its most outspoken organisers, drawing large crowds and becoming a regular target of security agencies.

Bobi Wine says Zaake’s political significance lies not only in the offices he has held but in the personal cost he has paid for his convictions.

“Francis Zaake has endured arrests, torture and persecution because he refused to abandon the struggle for a better Uganda. His resilience continues to inspire many young people,” Bobi Wine has said.

Those sacrifices would soon become visible to the entire country.

Arua changed everything

The defining chapter of Zaake’s political life came during the 2018 Arua Municipality by-election, one of the most turbulent moments in Uganda’s recent political history.

Violence erupted after the fatal shooting of Bobi Wine’s driver, Yasin Kawuma, leading to the arrest of several opposition leaders, including Zaake.

Days later, photographs showing the MP badly injured while in military custody shocked the nation and drew condemnation from local and international human rights organisations.

Zaake alleged he had been tortured before being dumped unconscious at a hospital.

His injuries were so severe that he travelled to India for specialised treatment while prosecutors simultaneously charged him and other opposition leaders with treason over the Arua incidents.

The episode transformed him from an outspoken legislator into one of Uganda’s most recognisable symbols of political persecution.

Arrests became part of political life

Even after recovering, Zaake’s confrontations with security agencies continued.

In 2020, he was arrested after distributing food to vulnerable families during the COVID-19 lockdown, with authorities accusing him of violating presidential directives restricting relief distribution.

His supporters insisted he was responding to desperate families facing hunger.

To the National Unity Platform, each arrest strengthened rather than weakened his political standing.

NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya believes Zaake’s resilience has become one of the defining characteristics of the party.

“Zaake has remained steadfast through some of the most difficult moments faced by our movement. His commitment to defending democratic principles has never wavered,” Rubongoya says.

Rise and fall inside Parliament

Following the 2021 General Election, Zaake reached the highest point of his parliamentary career when Opposition MPs elected him Commissioner of Parliament.

The appointment placed him among Parliament’s top administrators responsible for overseeing the institution’s budget, staff welfare and administration.

For many observers, it appeared the youthful legislator had finally moved from street activism into institutional leadership.

The moment proved short-lived.

In March 2022, Parliament voted to remove him from the Parliamentary Commission following disciplinary proceedings arising from remarks directed at Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.

The vote sharply divided legislators, with government MPs backing his removal while the Opposition described it as politically motivated.

For many politicians, losing such a prestigious office would have marked the beginning of political decline.

Zaake, however, remained active both inside Parliament and within the National Unity Platform.

The comeback

Many political observers questioned whether years of arrests, court cases, torture allegations and parliamentary battles had diminished Zaake’s political influence.

The 2026 elections delivered a clear answer.

Mityana voters returned him to Parliament with another decisive victory, reaffirming their confidence despite years of political turbulence.

His election this week as chairperson of Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee represents perhaps his strongest political comeback since losing the Commissioner’s office.

As committee chairperson, Zaake now occupies one of Parliament’s key accountability positions, overseeing government commitments and compelling ministers and public officials to explain delayed or unfulfilled promises.

Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi says the appointment reflects the confidence the Opposition continues to place in Zaake.

“Francis Zaake has consistently demonstrated courage in Parliament and outside it. Whether people agree with his methods or not, few can question his determination to hold those in power accountable,” Ssenyonyi says.

More than one politician

Nearly a decade after entering Parliament, Francis Zaake remains one of Uganda’s most recognisable opposition politicians.

His political journey has unfolded through police cells, hospital wards, military barracks, courtrooms and Parliament itself.

Supporters see him as a legislator who has consistently paid a personal price for challenging those in power.

Critics argue that his confrontational style has often generated controversy and overshadowed his legislative contributions.

Yet even his critics acknowledge one undeniable reality: few politicians of his generation have endured as much and remained politically relevant.

As Uganda’s 12th Parliament settles into its work, Zaake begins another chapter—not as a victim of political setbacks, but as one of the Opposition’s most experienced legislators, now entrusted with holding the Executive accountable for its promises.

For a politician many thought had reached the end of the road, Francis Zaake has once again demonstrated that survival, perhaps more than anything else, has become his greatest political skill.