Fred Kabanda’s appointment as the next Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) comes at a pivotal moment for Uganda’s oil industry, shifting the regulator’s focus from negotiating project development to policing the financial and operational realities of commercial production.
Kabanda succeeds Ernest Rubondo, whose decade-long tenure established PAU as one of Africa’s more assertive petroleum regulators.
Rubondo is widely credited with maintaining a firm stance in negotiations with international oil companies, helping Uganda secure favourable terms as the country moved from exploration into development of its estimated 6.5 billion barrels of discovered crude.
Kabanda’s return to PAU is also notable because he narrowly missed the same position in 2016.
At the time, he was Assistant Commissioner for Oil Development and Production and was shortlisted alongside Rubondo.
A decade later, his selection reflects both continuity and the changing demands facing the regulator.
His experience at the African Development Bank, where he has overseen mining, oil and gas policy across Africa, could prove particularly valuable.
Uganda is approaching first oil production, expected before the end of the year, and the next challenge is likely to be less about attracting investment and more about ensuring government receives its fair share of revenues.
One of the biggest tests will be disputes over recoverable costs.
Before profits are shared with government, oil companies are entitled to recover approved investments.
PAU will be responsible for scrutinising those claims, an area that could trigger legal battles worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Kabanda’s exposure to resource governance across multiple African jurisdictions, including his role linked to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, gives him a broader perspective on how governments manage these disputes.
His appointment signals that Uganda wants experienced technocratic leadership as its petroleum sector enters the production era, when regulatory credibility will be measured not by agreements signed, but by revenues protected and public confidence maintained.