The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has appointed petroleum sector expert Fred Kabanda as its new Executive Director, succeeding Ernest Rubondo, whose second term at the helm of the regulator ended on August 31.
Kabanda will assume office on December 1, 2026, following the completion of the recruitment and onboarding process, according to the PAU Board of Directors.
In the interim, Michael Ochan, PAU’s Director of Finance and Corporate Services, will continue serving as Acting Executive Director, a position he assumed on September 1 following Rubondo’s departure.
Rubondo served as PAU’s Executive Director for 10 years. He was appointed in 2016 as the founding head of the petroleum regulator and completed his second term on August 31.
Kabanda brings more than three decades of experience in Uganda’s petroleum sector, having held technical and leadership positions at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
He currently heads the Extractives Division at the AfDB, where he provides leadership and policy advice on oil, gas and mining development across Africa.
Before joining the AfDB, Kabanda held several positions at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, eventually rising to Assistant Commissioner and Head of the Regulatory Unit in the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department.
His career has included work in petroleum licensing, field development, regulatory oversight, contract negotiations and sector governance.
Kabanda is also credited with contributing to the development of Uganda’s petroleum policy and legal framework, including the National Oil and Gas Policy of 2008, as well as the transition of regulatory functions from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to PAU.
He 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.
The PAU board said Kabanda’s experience in petroleum regulation, policy, institutional leadership and extractives governance will be valuable as Uganda moves closer to commercial oil production.
The Petroleum Authority of Uganda is mandated to regulate and monitor activities across the country’s oil and gas sector, including petroleum exploration, development, production, refining and storage.
