Fred Kabanda Wins PAU Leadership in Ongoing Engineer-Lawyer Succession War
Uganda's Petroleum Authority (PAU) has finally appointed a new Executive Director after an eight-month delay. Mr. Fred Kabanda, currently a manager for extractives at the African Development Bank (AfDB), will take over the role on December 1st. He scored 82% in board interviews, beating out Ali Ssekatawa, PAU's director for legal and corporate affairs, who scored 79%. The appointment settles a long-standing debate between engineers and lawyers over who should lead Uganda's oil sector.
The delay was sparked by lobbying efforts to extend the non-renewable mandate of outgoing Executive Director Ernest Rubondo. However, President Yoweri Museveni stuck to the original plan, and PAU installed Michael Otonga-Ochan as acting executive director in the interim. Kabanda holds a master's degree in petroleum engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The appointment comes just weeks before Uganda is expected to start commercial crude production. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is due for completion between October and November, alongside commissioning of the Kingfisher field. PAU regulates the industry from exploration through to export.