Save what is hereafter expressly admitted to be true, each and every allegation in the amended petition is denied.
The first Respondent [Mr Museveni] denies that the Petitioner [Mr Mbabazi] has any grievance within the meaning of Article 104 (1) of the Constitution and Section 59 (1) of the Presidential Elections Act.
The candidates mentioned in paragraph 2 of the Amended Petition participated in the Presidential Election held on 18th February, 2016 and the First Respondent having polled 5,617, 503 votes being 60.75 per cent of the valid votes cast was on 20th February, 2016 declared elected as President of the Republic of Uganda.
The 1st Respondent states that no illegal practices and/or offences referred to therein were committed by himself personally or through his agents and supporters with his knowledge and consent or approval.
In specific answer to paragraph 3 (a) (i) of the Amended Petition, the 1st Respondent did not personally or through his agents with his knowledge and consent or approval, give hoes to the voters of West Nile or at all, with the intent that they should vote for him and refrain from voting the Petitioner and other presidential candidates.
The giving of hoes to the people of Uganda is part of an ongoing programme of the government to support farmers. This programme started before the 2015/2016 campaign and election period.
In specific answer to paragraph 3 (a) (ii) of the Amended Petition, the 1st Respondent avers that he did not personally or through his agents with his knowledge and consent or approval, give out a bribe of Shs250,000 to voters in every village throughout Uganda with intent that they should vote for him and refrain from voting the Petitioner and other candidates.
This money was paid out by the National Resistance Movement to its branches to support their activities.
The 1st Respondent avers that he did not give out 500 hectares of Bukaleeba Forest Reserve to over 30,000 families with a view of inducing them to vote for him during the 2016 presidential election.
In 2011, following an appeal from the local community in Bukaleeba Forest Reserve and South Busoga Central Forest Reserve that was facing eviction by the National Forestry Authority (NFA), the 1st Respondent, in his capacity as President of Uganda, instructed the Minister for Water and Environment together with the Prime Minister to ensure the local communities that had been occupying the land for many years, have the land parcelled out to them in accordance with the law.
The 1st Respondent avers that he did not make any reckless statements referring to the Petitioner and candidate Kizza Besigye as alleged or at all.
The 1st Respondent denies the contents of the Amended Petition and states that the crime preventers referred to are volunteers lawfully trained by the Uganda Police as part of the community policing and not for purposes alleged by the Petitioner.
The 1st Respondent denies using derogatory and reckless language or threatening to arrest the Petitioner and Kizza Besigye as alleged. What he stated using a Runyankore saying was that anybody who causes violence would face the full force of the law. His reference to touching “the anus of a leopard” was figurative to illustrate the recklessness of anybody breaking the law.
The 1st Respondent avers that he did not threaten that if the voters elected the Petitioner or anybody else Uganda would go back to war. What he said during his campaigns was that Ugandans should exercise their right to vote carefully to protect the gains and progress the country has achieved so far since 1986.
The 1st Respondent did not direct the Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura and his officers to prevent the Petitioner from conducting consultations with voters in preparation for his nomination as a presidential candidate.
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