[1][3] Prior to his diplomatic assignments, he was Chairman of the Legal and Security Affairs Committee in the National Assembly of Uganda from 1989 to 1996.

He served as President of the Joint Assembly of the European Economic Community and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (EEC/ACP).

[1][3] Butagira became the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in July 2003 after serving from 2000 as the mediator in Sudanese peace talks sponsored by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

In 1999, he led a team of Ugandan negotiators in talks leading to the establishment of the East African Community.

In 1998, he was Uganda's Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa.