Rubondo exits PAU, successor remains pending

What the report says

Ernest Rubondo has left his role as Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda after completing the maximum two terms, according to The Independent Uganda and URN. His contract ended on August 31, 2026, and the regulator’s board and the Ministry of Energy have named the Authority’s Director of Finance to serve in an acting capacity while a substantive replacement is still being selected.

The report says the transition comes at a sensitive time for Uganda’s oil sector, as the country moves closer to first oil and prepares for commercial production. Rubondo had led PAU for nearly 10 years as its inaugural executive director. During his tenure, the authority oversaw regulation of major projects including the Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfields and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.

Permanent Secretary Irene Pauline Batebe said the ministry has begun the transition and will announce a permanent head soon. The article identifies Otonga Ochan as the acting executive director, while noting that the recruitment process for the substantive job had been underway since the position was advertised in December 2025.

The publication also says the next leader will inherit a regulator shifting from project development oversight to commercial production oversight. It adds that Uganda is preparing a third petroleum licensing round and that local firms have already won part of the sector’s investment opportunities, highlighting the broader economic stakes of the leadership change.