Ms Lynda Biribonwa, an environment, health, and safety specialist, has been appointed Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), replacing Ms Jane N. Mulemwa (PhD), whose term of office ended in May 2024.
Following her successful vetting and approval by the Parliamentary Appointment Committee, led by the Speaker of Parliament in June 2024, President Yoweri Museveni appointed Ms Biribonwa as the new Chairperson and six others as Members of the PAU Board on June 18, 2024, in accordance with Section 17 (2) of the Petroleum (Exploration, Development, and Production) Act, 2021.
Ms Biribonwa, a certified Lead Environmental Management Systems Auditor with over twenty-three years of experience in environment, health, and safety at strategic, policy, compliance, and practitioner levels, brings her environmental engineering and finance expertise to the Board. She holds an MBA in Oil and Gas from CWS School of Energy, London, UK; an MSc in Environment and Development from the University of Reading, UK; and a BA (Hons) in Environmental Management and Business Administration from Keele University, Staffordshire, UK.
Before her appointment, Ms Biribonwa served on the previous Board as the head of the Governance, Board, and Audit Committee. This committee develops and recommends policies and procedures to ensure sound governance practices are in place and guides the Board in fulfilling its oversight role.
Ms Biribonwa brings experience in environmental engineering and finance to the Board. She holds an MBA in Oil and Gas from CWS School of Energy, London UK, a MSc in Environment and Development from the University of Reading, UK and a BA (Hons) in Environmental Management and Business Administration from Keele University, Staffordshire, UK.
During her tenure at the second Board, Ms. Biribonwa headed the Governance, Board and Audit Committee. This committee develops and recommends policies and procedures to ensure sound governance policies and practices are in place and assist the board in fulfilling its oversight role. It also provides a structured reporting line for the internal audit function of the Authority.
Others appointed to the new Board include Mr Bernard Ongodia, a Geophysicist with over twenty years of experience in Petroleum Exploration, Development, and Production, who currently serves as the Principal of Uganda Petroleum Institute, Kigumba (UPIK); Mr Adrian Bukenya, the Country Director for the Mastercard Foundation in Uganda, with over twenty years of global professional experience in the energy, infrastructure, and financial services sectors; and Mr. Innocent Kihika, an Energy Lawyer with over twenty-five years of experience in Energy, Mining, and Infrastructure Law. The trio previously served on the Board and will be serving their second term as members.
The new entrants to the seven-member Board include Ms Oduka Ochan Achan, a finance specialist with over forty-two years of experience in financial planning, marketing, strategic planning, program/project design management, institutional and organisational development, communication, and banking; Ms Solome Galiwango, a seasoned professional with over twenty years of experience, ten of which are in the energy sector. She is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and the Energy Efficiency Association of Uganda; and Prof. Vincent Bagire, a management specialist with over twenty-seven years of teaching experience in strategic management. Prof. Bagire is the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Makerere University Business School.
Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, will inaugurate and hand over instruments of power to the new Board on July 19, 2024, at Amber House, Kampala. The new Board takes over when the industry is experiencing a ramp-up in activities during the development phase and will be expected to steer the Regulatory Authority in its mandate of monitoring and regulating the oil and gas sector to create lasting value for Uganda.
