Addressing journalists at the Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala, chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu has said four companies were selected to print ballot papers.

“It cannot be discussed because it would be prejudicial. Four companies were picked to print ballot papers. The companies that complained were not even competitive in terms of the price. We shall have an administrative review and we shall have a proper answer,” he said.

He also talks about the incident at Mbabazi’s rally.

He says it was wrong for Henry Tumukunde’s plane to land at Mbabazi’s rally, but adds that they were not responsible and when Tumukunde was informed about the rally, he went away.

President Museveni has Amuru district residents to work hard and send an NRM woman MP in the next elections.

He was addressing his second rally of the day and the first one in Acholi region in Pabbo sub-county, Amuru district.

The seat is currently being occupied by FDC’s Lucy Akello who won NRM’s Jane Francis Okili in a by-election.

Museveni said that if people want the NRM government to deliver well and fulfill its pledges, they should always accompany voting him with NRM legislators and local leaders at all levels.

The NRM leader later headed to Kilak South county in Amuru District for a rally after which he moved on to Nwoya county where NRM deputy secretary general Richard Twodong comes from.
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Supporters of Museveni at Pabo, Kal Parish, Kilak South in Amuru district led by Rasta Lucky Bosmic Otim performing  Lakubukubu, an Acholi traditional dance on Friday.
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Today Museveni will be winding up campaigns in Adjumani district before starting the in Acholi sub-region. During the West Nile campaign trail, Museveni has emphasised commercial agriculture, urging people to complement small-scale tobacco growing with modern farming activities such as growing citrus fruits and livestock farming.

Museveni also promised to extend electricity to village centres and construct roads connecting the districts of Koboko, Yumbe and Moyo. By investing in infrastructure, Museveni said small and large industries will emerge, leading to job creation.
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While winding up his West Nile campaigns, President Museveni said he will go to his farm if he loses the forthcoming presidential elections.

Francesca Ondoa of Vuorapi village in Moyo sub-county is one of those who lost three relatives during the nasty border conflict between the residents of Moyo and Kajokeji in South Sudan last year.

Ondoa, 42, on Thursday walked for 3km to Celecelea stadium in Moyo town to hear what the NRM presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni would say about the border row.

The mother of six, who is also now looking after two children of a deceased relative, said she expected compensation from the Government and most importantly a permanent solution of the border crisis.

Indeed, the Moyo-South Sudan border was a key issue in Museveni’s speech with pledge to compensate for the burnt houses and cattle.

“First of all, I want to begin with the issue of the houses that were burned and the cattle lost. The Attorney General will compensate these houses and cows. The Attorney General may be busy because it is election time, I will send the Solicitor General to camp in the region and start negotiations with the affected people,” Museveni said.

He also promised to dispatch the balance of the iron sheets part of the batch that was expected from that the Office of the Prime Minister.

So far1,500 iron sheets have been given to victims out of the expected 3,500. The long-standing Moyo- South Sudan dispute flared up in September last year, leaving hundreds many homeless .

Museveni said he has not concluded resolving the matter although the border demarcation is clear in the Ugandan Constitution; schedule two and page 199.

The President read to the huge crowds a schedule of Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (page 202) which spell out details of the border.

“The Uganda-South Sudan border follows in a straight line to the source of river Kaya, then along the thalweg (the lowest line of the valley) of river Kaya downstream to its confluence with the unnamed river which runs immediately south of Chei and Lodwa rocks, and then in a northerly direction; then in an easterly direction in a straight line to a point on the western summit of the hill Kirwa marked by a surface beacon……. so this is very clear,” Museveni said schedule two of the Constitution reaffirms what was in the agreements between the British and other colonialists who lived in the two countries.

He said the delayed resolution of the standoff was partially due to the civil war in South Sudan.

“When they settle down, we shall sort this out. You remember the time I came here with President Salva Kiir and we went to the border where we found some Kuku elders,” Museveni recalled.

At the rally, Museveni also explained the history and achievements of the NRM anchoring them on unity, strength and development.

“When I was landing, my pilot had to be very careful because there is a new situation in Moyo which was not there before. These are electricity lines. If the pilot was not very careful, you would hear that your President entered into electricity lines and has gone to heaven prematurely,” he told the waving and cheering supporters.

Museveni said he is happy about the electricity supply to Moyo. Observing that the tarmac road has been extended from Atiak to Gulu and another section to Oraba from Arua he pledged that Government would tarmac the Atyak-Adjumani-Moyo-Koboko road.

Through prioritisation, we shall achieve that,” the President assured the people, as he urged them to adopt modern agriculture to create wealth at homes and fight poverty.

Museveni promised to inject more funds into the NAADs programme under the Operation Wealth Creation so as to supply more seedlings for planting for farmers. At a campaign rally at Mijali village Boma grounds in Yumbe town council, he said lack of supervision was stalling the microfinance fund.

Museveni also revealed that before Maj. Gen. Ali Bamuze’s death, the two had discussed plans to renovate Lokopyo Hill Technical School. He also promised that government would construct the Abikina power station to boost the electricity supply in the region.

Over 300 members from the Forum for Democratic Change led by Aluma Twaha, the chairperson FDC Yumbe town council pressure crossed to the NRM.

“If I lose elections, I have got a job at home. I am a cattle keeper.” This is how President Yoweri Museveni, the presidential flag-bearer for the National Resistance Movement (NRM), answered a question from journalists on whether he would accept defeat if he lost the February 2016 presidential elections.

Museveni also said he would abide by the constitutionally set 75 yearage- limit for presidents and retire peacefully.” On the 75-year age limit, I will follow the Constitution,” he said.

Museveni was addressing journalists at Arua State Lodge as he winds up the West Nile campaigns.

Article 102 (b) of the Constitution states that a person is qualified for election as President when he or she is not less than 35 years old and not more than 75 years.

This article has of late courted controversy with some actors petitioning the Constitutional Court to interpret what happens when a serving president clocks 75 years while still serving his current term.

The NRM candidate, who is also the incumbent, also dismissed claims minted on him by Opposition actors that he is power hungry.

“I am not power-hungry. I am mission hungry,” he said, emphasising that he is in politics not to look for power but to accomplish certain missions such as the East African Community federation and socio-economic transformation of the country.

Proven record

Arguing that he cannot be intimidated not to pursue his aspirations by Opposition actors such as Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye, Museveni said he cannot abandon the country to people who have no mission.

“I cannot be intimidated by people who have no mission,” he said, describing himself as a man with a proven record in the country.

“Why did Besigye and Mbabazi think that by getting rid of a man with a proven record they can accomplish our mission rather than working with people of experience to solve the problems of Uganda?” he asked.

On the other hand, Museveni said that when Besigye left the army in 2001, he left behind several unsolved issues such as cattle rustling in Karamoja, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Rwenzori and Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda.

“Besigye keeps saying ‘agende’ (let him go). But we solved all these problems of Kony, cattle rustling in Karamoja and ADF in Rwenzori without Besigye. Uganda is now peaceful.”

Museveni also downplayed Besigye’s suggestion to increase teachers’ salaries as reckless and irresponsible.

The NRM leader said by spending more on the wage bill, which is monthly and constant, and not the infrastructure projects such as dams and roads, Besigye was putting the cart before the horse.

“Paying about 1,600 primary teachers more than sh600,000 per month means that you will not work on the roads. That is irresponsible and typical of people like Besigye.

“Besigye wants to destroy this by his reckless method of increasing the wage bill and not infrastructure. Salaries are monthly and once you start, you can’t stop, while a dam is built once,” he said.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye, has cautioned the electorate against voting for people with tainted records, including those implicated in scandals such as corruption.

While on the campaign trail in the eastern districts of Pallisa and Butaleja on Thursday, Besigye asked residents to watch out for people he said had amassed a lot of wealth with which they hope to confuse voters during the ongoing campaigns and elections.

He, however, encouraged them to accept money and any other freebies that may be donated to them, but elect upright leaders with clean records.

“As you choose your leaders for the next five years, reject those with bad records: the thieves, corrupt and liars. It is such people who have a lot of money during the campaigns.”

He is one of the eight presidential candidates canvassing the country for support. Other candidates are incumbent President Museveni, former premier Amama Mbabazi, veterinarian Abed Bwanika, former Makerere University vice-chancellor Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, educationist Joseph Mabirizi, retired army officer Maj. Gen. Benon Biraro and Maureen Kyalya Walube.

Kyalya is the only female candidate in the race.

“Once they come to you, take the money because it is yours but do not vote them into office,” he emphasised.

Besigye who said institutions such as the Inspectorate of Government and the Police that are mandated to fight corruption, are not independent and vowed to overhaul them if elected president in the February 2016 polls.

“They serve interests of certain political leaders, on whose orders they act. If you criticize such leaders, the Inspector General of Government will arrest you and when you apologise you are released,” he said.

Besigye was accompanied by FDC president Mugisha Muntu, secretary general Nandala Mafabi, secretary for mobilisation Ingrid Turinawe and Members of Parliament: Geoffrey Ekanya (Tororo County), Kevina Taaka (Busia Municipality) and Isaiah Sasaga (Budadiri East).

They traversed areas such as Kabweri and Kameke in Pallisa as well as Nabiganda, Butaleja plus Busolwe in Butaleja district.

During a rally at Nabiganda trading centre, Besigye observed that whereas Uganda is endowed with a lot of natural resources, making it one of the richest countries in the world, the majority of its people live below the poverty line.

“This is a rich country, but with high levels of unemployment, bad road infrastructure, limited access to clean water and where the number of mothers dying in labour each day has risen from 16 to 19,” he argued.

Besigye said all this happens because the resources that would have been used are squandered by those in positions of leadership and because grass-roots people are powerless.

“You watch as all this happens and you know the people stealing what belongs to you, but there is nothing you can do about it since they took away your power. When someone steals your vote, he takes away your voice,” he noted.

“When you lack power you are more or less a refugee in your own country. In fact, even worse than some refugees,” he stressed.

Besigye expressed the need to change people’s attitude and mindset so that they can believe in themselves and be able to demand for their rights. He suggested instead that people demand accountability before the President and other leaders.

He lashed out at President Yoweri Museveni, who he said is fond of boasting about how he has developed roads.

“What Museveni boasts of as good roads are actually death traps. They are narrow and congested, increasing the rate of accidents. The death toll on our roads is more than the deaths in all wars in Uganda combined.”

Mugisha Muntu said FDC strives to build a nation where there is equality before the law, without anyone trampling on the rights of others.

Nandala said the whole of Butaleja has no tarmac road, while the district, like many others, does not have a student on the State House scholarship for bright, but needy students. He said the scholarships are not awarded on merit as the scheme is meant to be.

Campaigning in Busia on Friday, FDC presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye called for a presidential debate.

The opposition candidate called for a presidential debate, as like in some other countries, in order for candidates to explain their plans for the nation on the same platform.

“I want to have President Museveni here, I here, and the other candidates here as well, so that everyone explains their plans,” said Besigye at a heavily attended Busia rally.

Accompanied by Kampala Lord Mayor candidate Erias Lukwago on his campaign trail, the FDC politician also said he plans to improve the judicial system and all other related organs in order to fight corruption.

He reiterated his call of giving power back to the people.

As his campaign trail continues, Besigye will move on to Bududa and Manafwa districts on Saturday.