In Fred Kabanda, petro engineers win Petroleum Authority succession war

What the report says

Uganda’s Petroleum Authority has appointed Fred Kabanda, currently manager for extractives at the African Development Bank, as its substantive executive director, ending an eight-month wait over who would lead the oil and gas regulator after Ernest Rubondo. Board chair Lynda Biribonwa confirmed the decision, which takes effect on 1 December, according to Uganda Business News.

The outlet reported that Kabanda finished ahead of Ali Ssekatawa, the authority’s director for legal and corporate affairs, in board interviews. The two were the final candidates from an original field of 22. The selection resolves a long-running internal debate that had broadly split opinion between candidates viewed as technical specialists and those with stronger legal or commercial backgrounds.

The report said the delay followed a stalled recruitment process, discussion over a possible third term for Rubondo, and a period when acting leadership was maintained inside the regulator. The appointment came as Uganda prepares for commercial oil production, with major sector milestones linked to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and the Kingfisher field. The Petroleum Authority oversees the industry from exploration through export, so the leadership change is significant for a sector entering a new phase.

Uganda Business News also noted that Kabanda is part of an earlier generation of petroleum-trained Ugandan specialists and that he has experience in the energy ministry and at AfDB. The publication framed the appointment as a notable win for engineers in a broader debate over how the regulator should be led as the country moves toward production.