PAU POWER VACUUM CRISIS! Rubondo Exits Oil Regulator , Top Job Remains Hanging As Power Struggle Swirls
Uganda’s petroleum regulator has been thrown into a leadership transition as Ernest Rubondo, the pioneer Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), exits the top office after completing his maximum two terms.
Rubondo’s contract expired on August 31, 2026, ending nearly a decade at the helm of the authority at a particularly sensitive time when Uganda is racing towards first oil.
But while his departure had been anticipated, the failure to appoint his substantive replacement before his exit has sparked questions over the recruitment and selection process at the oil regulator.
For now, the PAU directorate has reportedly turned to Otonga Ochan, the Authority’s Director of Finance, to steer the institution in an acting capacity as Government works to settle on a substantive Executive Director.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Irene Pauline Batebe confirmed that the transition is already underway.
“We have now started the transition at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, where we will soon announce the substantive executive director. But for now, the acting director is in place for that purpose,” Batebe said.
The leadership uncertainty comes despite PAU having advertised the Executive Director’s position in December 2025, approximately eight months before Rubondo’s contract expired.
The recruitment process was therefore expected to produce a successor before the pioneer boss bowed out.
However, that did not happen.
The delay has raised eyebrows in petroleum circles, particularly given the strategic importance of PAU as Uganda prepares to move from oil project development into commercial production.
Sources in the sector have identified Ochan as the acting boss.
Ochan is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, and reportedly has more than 21 years of experience in strategic planning, financial management, corporate governance, leadership and administration.
Before joining PAU, Ochan spent nine years as Commissioner of Corporate Services at the Uganda Revenue Authority, where he was responsible for Finance, Administration, Human Resources and Information Technology.
His temporary elevation comes at a crucial moment for the petroleum regulator.
Under Rubondo, PAU oversaw the regulatory aspects of the development of Uganda’s major petroleum projects, including the Kingfisher and Tilenga oil fields and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
Batebe described Rubondo’s tenure as one of the most consequential periods in Uganda’s petroleum history.
“Mr. Ernest Rubondo was the inaugural executive director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, where he has served judiciously for 10 years,” she said.
The Government says the Kingfisher Development Area, operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation, is about 80% complete, while its preparedness for first oil stands at 98%.
Kingfisher is expected to be ready for first oil by the end of September and is projected to produce about 40,000 barrels per day at peak.
Meanwhile, the TotalEnergies-operated Tilenga project is expected to produce approximately 190,000 barrels per day at peak, while the East African Crude Oil Pipeline is reportedly 92.7% complete.
The incoming substantive PAU boss will therefore inherit a regulator facing one of the biggest transitions in its history — from supervising petroleum project development to regulating actual commercial production and marketing of Uganda’s crude.
The authority will also continue overseeing national content, technical standards and other areas across the petroleum value chain.
Government says Ugandan enterprises have so far secured contracts and business opportunities worth about US$2.27 billion out of approximately US$7 billion invested in the sector.
At the same time, Government is preparing for a third petroleum licensing round covering the Kadam-Moroto, Lake Kyoga and Hoima basins.
SUCCESSOR ROW
Despite the early advertisement of the PAU top job, the substantive appointment remains pending.
The Ministry of Energy had earlier indicated that recruitment was underway, but the process had not been concluded by the time Rubondo left office.
Sources have previously indicated that geologist and geoscientist Fred Kabanda is among those being considered for the powerful position.
Kabanda previously served as Assistant Commissioner for Oil and Gas Development and Production in the former Petroleum Exploration and Production Department.
He currently heads the Non-Renewable Natural Resources Division at the African Development Bank’s African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre.
Reports have claimed that Kabanda’s name was forwarded to the appointing authority, President Yoweri Museveni, although this has not been independently verified.
It also remains unclear whether Kabanda is the leading candidate or whether his name was formally submitted to the President.
The uncertainty has fuelled speculation within petroleum circles, with reports pointing to an internal contest among senior PAU officials.
There have also been media reports of a struggle involving some of the Authority’s directors, many of whom possess the academic qualifications and sector experience required for the top job.
However, the exact nature of the reported internal contest remains unclear.
With Uganda edging closer to first oil, the pressure is now on the Ministry of Energy and the PAU Board to end the leadership limbo and install a substantive Executive Director capable of steering the regulator through the country’s most critical phase of petroleum production.
Batebe has not given a specific date for the appointment, only saying the substantive Executive Director will be announced soon.
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