By Sekaggya Seka Moses
Kampala, Uganda – Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament Francis Zaake has been remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of driving without a valid permit, disobeying lawful orders, and careless or inconsiderate use of a motor vehicle.
Hon Zaake Fracis before court with Lop Joel Ssenyonyi Right and Lewis Rubongoya NUP general secretary Left
Zaake appeared before Law Development Centre Grade One Magistrate Martins Kirya on Monday, July 22, 2024, and denied the charges.
The State Attorney, Timothy Aduti, requested more time for the police to complete their investigations, and Zaake applied for bail, asserting his innocence until proven guilty.
The magistrate will rule on his bail application on July 25, 2024.
Zaake is accused of driving a black Nissan without a valid driving license, obstructing the road, and refusing to stop when signaled by a police officer. If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison for disobeying lawful orders and six months for driving without a valid permit.
The arrest comes amidst a heavy military and police presence at the National Unity Platform (NUP) party headquarters, where several leaders, including Zaake, were arrested.
The NUP claims that the regime is trying to portray the ongoing #March2Parliament protests as an NUP initiative, which the party denies organizing but supports due to their stance against injustice and corruption.
The police have not provided a statement justifying their actions at the time of publishing.