“There is no evidence to back this falsehood,” he said.
The population of the area near the palace, in the foothills of Mt Rwenzori in western Uganda, favours the opposition. Uganda’s veteran leader, President Yoweri Museveni, lost to his rival Kizza Besigye there in the last polls in February 2016.
Museveni, 72, has been in power for more than three decades. His critics accuse his government of deliberately stoking violence in the region as retribution for its residents’ rejection of the ruling party, a charge the government denies.
A group of Ugandan legislators have petitioned the Hague-based International Criminal Court to investigate the violence. One lawmaker accused the security forces of committing “crimes against humanity.”
Opondo ruled out an international investigation since the attack is the subject of an ongoing criminal trial.
