Mr Fred Kabanda , the new executive director Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU)
By Joseph Kiggundu
KAMPALA. Mr Fred Kabanda, has been appointed Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda.
He replaces Ernest Rubondo as Uganda prepares to begin commercial oil production.
Kabanda will take charge of PAU on Dec. 1, the regulator’s board said on Wednesday.
“The Board of Directors of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) is pleased to inform stakeholders and the public that Mr. Fred Kabanda has been appointed as the Executive Director,” the board said.
Michael Otonga Ochan will continue as Acting Executive Director until Kabanda assumes office.
Kabanda’s appointment marks a change of leadership at PAU after Rubondo’s tenure overseeing the regulator through a major phase of Uganda’s oil industry, from early institutional development to the construction and development of the country’s commercial oil projects.
For Ugandans who have followed the oil sector for years, Kabanda is not a new name.
PAU says he has more than 30 years of experience in Uganda’s petroleum sector and was involved in developing the policies and laws that underpin the industry today.
“Mr. Kabanda is recognised as one of the architects of Uganda’s petroleum policy, legal and regulatory framework,” PAU said.
During his years at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Kabanda contributed to the 2008 National Oil and Gas Policy and supported the transfer of petroleum regulatory functions from the ministry to PAU.
He later served as Assistant Commissioner and head of the Regulatory Unit in the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department.
His work included petroleum licensing, field development, contract negotiations and regulatory oversight — areas that have shaped Uganda’s oil industry since commercially viable discoveries were made in the Albertine Graben.
Kabanda subsequently moved to the African Development Bank, where he is currently Head of the Extractives Division, providing policy and strategic advice on oil, gas and mining projects across Africa.
His appointment comes as Uganda approaches a long-awaited milestone: commercial production of its crude oil.
The country is developing the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil projects in the Albertine region, alongside the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, with the government expecting petroleum revenues to contribute to the wider economy once production and exports begin.
That puts PAU at the centre of a sector that has attracted billions of dollars in investment but has also faced scrutiny over environmental protection, land acquisition, compensation, local content, project delays and the management of Uganda’s petroleum resources.
Kabanda will therefore inherit an Authority whose responsibilities are expanding as oil projects move from development towards production.
PAU said his experience in stakeholder engagement, institutional management and strategic leadership would position him to steer the regulator through the next phase.
“He brings extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, institutional management, and strategic leadership, positioning him to guide the Authority as Uganda progresses towards commercial oil production and the long-term sustainable development of its petroleum resource,” the board said.
Kabanda holds a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geology and Chemistry from Makerere University.
PAU Board Chairperson Lynda Biribonwa thanked the Energy Ministry for its guidance during the recruitment process and said the board looked forward to working with Kabanda.
The Authority said it remained focused on supporting “the sustainable development of Uganda’s petroleum resources” and contributing to the country’s socio-economic transformation.
For Kabanda, the appointment brings him back into the heart of Uganda’s oil industry at a defining moment — as the regulatory system he helped shape prepares to oversee the country’s transition from oil development to actual production.