Irene Bateebe: The Engineer at the Centre of Uganda’s Oil Dream

What the report says

Eng. Irene Pauline Bateebe remains a key figure in Uganda’s energy sector after President Yoweri Museveni retained her as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development in a November 9, 2026 reshuffle of senior public officials, according to Nile Post. The story says her retention preserves continuity at a ministry responsible for petroleum development, the oil refinery, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), power generation, mineral development and renewable energy.

Nile Post profiles Bateebe as a career technocrat who has spent more than two decades in the sector rather than coming through general public administration. She joined the ministry in 2009 as Chief Refining Engineer and later became Principal Refining Engineer, working on technical standards for refinery and petroleum infrastructure and helping with planning for pipelines, storage and refinery facilities. The article also says she took part in negotiations tied to the EACOP and refinery projects.

Before becoming permanent secretary in August 2021, Bateebe served as chairperson of Uganda Refinery Holding Company and sat on the boards of the Uganda National Oil Company and Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company. The piece adds that she has also been appointed as a non-executive director of Kenya Pipeline Company after Uganda acquired a stake in the firm, underscoring regional energy links. More broadly, the article presents her role as significant because Uganda is still advancing major petroleum projects while seeking wider gains from its energy and mineral sectors.