The Chief of Defence Forces and also Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda pressure group Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has mourned the passing on of Cedric Babu as a great loss to the country and Moreso PLU.
“I join the family of Capt. Francis Babu to mourn the passing of my brother, my close friend and comrade in the struggle, Cedric Babu, who passed away yesterday in Nairobi. Cedric was an optimist always thinking about tomorrow, a better tomorrow. He is survived by a wife and three handsome boys who love sports like their father did” the CDF wrote.
He continued “It is for all these talents and many more that I appointed him Vice Chairman for Kampala on the Central Committee of PLU. He was a great addition to the team and we shall miss him immensely. May his soul rest in eternal peace”.
Mr Babu was known for his media works and as a former tennis star Cedric died yesterday.
Cedric, the son of veteran politician, Captain Francis Babu and businesswoman Olive Kigongo, passed away on Saturday, May 31, at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. He had been airlifted there after collapsing in Kigali, Rwanda.
At the time of his death, Cedric and his family were in the middle of a campaign to raise £300,000 (approximately Shs1.2billion) for a life-saving heart transplant.
The transplant was to be conducted abroad, and the family had appealed for urgent financial support.
The campaign’s momentum was immediate. Donations streamed in from all corners—Uganda, the diaspora, strangers, friends, and celebrities alike. One anonymous contributor donated £7,417, six others gave £1,000 or more, and Leopold Kyanda offered £622. Each donation carried a message of hope. But it was the Ruparelias’ tribute, combining generosity and emotional resonance, that touched many the most.
Tragically, time was not on Cedric’s side. Despite the overwhelming response, his condition worsened, and he passed away less than two days later in a Nairobi hospital. His death stunned a nation and left a void in the media community but also shone a light on Uganda’s unshakable spirit.
Even as some cynics questioned the possibility of raising such a large sum so quickly, their doubts were drowned out by the voices of 343 donors who gave what they could. The GoFundMe effort may have fallen short of the full target, but it became something more a symbol of solidarity, of people rising to support one of their own in his darkest hour.
Gen. Muhoozi eulogised his friend as someone who stood out amongst his peers as an individual who had a rich and wide spectrum of talents. “He had a passion for sports in which he excelled. He played tennis with a skill that made him amongst the best that our country has ever produced”. “Cedric was a businessman and was equally successful there at a young age. He was a nationalist and a patriot. Where many children of Uganda’s elite families eschew politics, Cedric had the courage to participate in the governance of his country”.
According to the tentative sendoff programme, from Sunday, Monday June 2 until Tuesday June 3, there will be prayers at the late’s residence on Plot 1 Fumu Close Kololo before mass on Wednesday and vigil on Thursday at his father’s residence. On Friday, there will be requiem mass at Rubaga Cathedral before the cortege leaves for Kamengo home for burial on Saturday.
