Kabanda returns to Uganda from the African Development Bank, where he currently heads the Extractives Division and provides strategic leadership and policy advice on oil, gas and mining development across Africa
Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has appointed veteran petroleum sector expert Fred Kabanda as its new Executive Director. The appointment was announced on Wednesday by the PAU Board of Directors.
Kabanda succeeds Ernest Rubondo, with whom they had competed for the same job ten years ago when the Petroleum Authority was formed. He joins the Authority at a critical stage as Uganda prepares to commence commercial oil production.
Kabanda has more than 30 years of experience in petroleum regulation, policy development and extractives governance.
According to a statement issued by PAU board Chair Lynda Biribonwa, Kabanda will assume office on December 1, 2026, following the completion of his recruitment and onboarding process.
Otonga Michael Ochan, who has been serving as Acting Executive Director following Rubondo’s departure, will continue in the position until Kabanda takes over.
Rubondo completed his second term as PAU Executive Director on August 31, 2026, after serving at the helm of the regulator since its establishment and through much of Uganda’s oil development phase.
Kabanda returns to Uganda from the African Development Bank, where he currently heads the Extractives Division and provides strategic leadership and policy advice on oil, gas and mining development across Africa.
The PAU Board Chairperson, Lynda Biribonwa, said the Authority looks forward to working with Kabanda as he takes on the leadership of the regulator.
The appointment comes as Uganda enters the final stages of preparations for first oil, with the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil projects and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) moving towards commercial production and export.
Kabanda has previously played a role in shaping the same petroleum sector he will now oversee as the regulator’s chief executive.
During his more than 30 years in public service and the development sector, he worked in several technical and leadership positions at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, rising to Assistant Commissioner and Head of the Regulatory Unit in the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department.
The PAU says he contributed to the development of Uganda’s petroleum laws and policies, including the National Oil and Gas Policy of 2008, and supported the transition of regulatory functions from the Ministry to the Authority.
His experience also includes petroleum licensing, field development, regulatory oversight, contract negotiations, and broader sector governance. At the African Development Bank, Kabanda has been responsible for providing strategic and policy support on extractives development across the continent. The Authority described him as one of the architects of Uganda’s petroleum policy, legal and regulatory framework.
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.
His appointment places an experienced petroleum regulator at the helm of PAU at a time when the Authority’s responsibilities are shifting from regulating exploration and development to overseeing production, transportation and commercialisation of Uganda’s crude oil.
Uganda expects to produce crude from the Tilenga and Kingfisher projects, with the oil transported through the 1,443-kilometre heated EACOP from Kabaale in Hoima to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export.
The PAU Board said the Authority remains focused on fulfilling its mandate of supporting the sustainable development of Uganda’s petroleum resources and contributing to the country’s socio-economic transformation.
Kabanda will therefore take charge of the regulator as Uganda moves from an oil-development phase into production and prepares to enter the international crude oil market.
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