PAU POWER VACUUM CRISIS DEEPENS! Energy Minister Musenero Says New Boss Has Been Chosen to Replace Rubondo But Won’t Name Him Or Her, Installs Ochan as Interim as Successor Row Turns Ugly

KAMPALA — The leadership drama at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has taken another twist after Energy Minister Dr Monica Musenero said a substantive successor to outgoing Executive Director Ernest Rubondo has already been selected — but stopped short of revealing the name.

Instead, Musenero has appointed Otonga Michael Ochan, the Authority’s Director of Finance and Corporate Services, as Acting Executive Director, leaving the oil regulator in the unusual position of having an allegedly identified successor whose identity remains under wraps.

The big question now doing the rounds in petroleum and energy circles is simple: If the new boss has already been picked, why can’t Government name him or her?

The silence has fuelled fresh speculation that the battle over who should take over from Rubondo may not yet be completely over.

PAU Board Chairperson Lynda Biribonwa confirmed that the transition to a new Executive Director is underway but offered no name or date for the handover.

“The Honourable Minister and the Board of Directors are working to finalise the onboarding of the Executive Director-designate, whose details will be communicated in due course,” Biribonwa said.

But the carefully worded statement has only deepened the mystery.

The position was advertised way back in December 2025, giving Government roughly eight months to complete the recruitment process before Rubondo’s second and final term expired on August 31, 2026.

Yet Rubondo left office without his replacement being publicly announced.

And now, even after the Minister reportedly approved a successor, the identity remains a closely guarded secret.

Musenero has instead installed Ochan as acting boss effective September 1, pending the assumption of office by the Executive Director-designate.

But the temporary arrangement has done little to kill questions about the substantive appointment.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of earlier reports of competing interests over who should occupy one of the most powerful offices in Uganda’s petroleum industry.

Among names previously linked to the race is geologist and geoscientist Fred Kabanda, a former Assistant Commissioner for Oil and Gas Development and Production in the then Petroleum Exploration and Production Department.

Kabanda currently heads the Non-Renewable Natural Resources Division at the African Development Bank’s African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre.

Reports have previously claimed that Kabanda’s name was forwarded to the appointing authority, President Yoweri Museveni, although this has not been independently verified.

It is also unclear whether he remains in contention.

Other reports have pointed to an internal contest involving senior officials within PAU, with several directors understood to possess the academic qualifications, technical expertise and sector experience required for the job.

What is clear is that the successor race has generated considerable interest because of the strategic importance of PAU.

Rubondo, PAU’s inaugural Executive Director, served for nearly a decade, overseeing the regulator during the transformation of Uganda’s petroleum sector from discovery and exploration to major oil development projects.

He exited as Uganda moves towards first oil, with the Kingfisher and Tilenga projects and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline entering critical stages.

The incoming boss will therefore inherit a regulator sitting at the heart of Uganda’s transition into commercial petroleum production.

PAU regulates exploration, development, production and aspects of transportation and commercialisation of petroleum resources, as well as national content and technical standards across the industry.

Government says the Kingfisher Development Area is nearing completion, while preparations for first oil are also advancing.

Tilenga and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline are similarly progressing towards commercial operations.

This makes the prolonged uncertainty over PAU’s top office particularly sensitive.

The Ministry had earlier assured the public that the recruitment process was underway.

Permanent Secretary Irene Pauline Batebe also recently confirmed that the transition had started and that a substantive Executive Director would soon be announced.

But “soon” has now become the operative word.

With the Minister saying the successor has already been picked, attention has shifted from who will win the job to why Government is still refusing to say who has won it.

For now, Ochan remains behind the PAU steering wheel.

But the real power question — who will permanently occupy the Executive Director’s office — remains shrouded in silence.

And until the name is finally announced, speculation over whether the appointment is genuinely complete or whether powerful interests are still fighting over the final choice is unlikely to disappear.