RIP: Cedric Babu
By Ronald Agaba Jr.
Cedric is gone. A young life, full of promise, snuffed out too soon. His heart failed him, but what stings even more is how some Ugandans failed him, too. When Cedric needed a heart transplant, he turned to a GoFundMe to raise funds—a desperate plea for help in a country where the healthcare system is a shadow of what it should be. Instead of compassion, some met his struggle with mockery. They laughed at his sickness, scoffed at his fundraising efforts, and now, even in death, some continue to mock him.
This is not just about Cedric. This is about us—Ugandans—and the broken system we all live under. It’s time to face the truth, and I’m not here to sugarcoat it.
Let’s be clear: Uganda’s system is failing us all. From crumbling hospitals to underfunded schools, from corrupt officials to a justice system that often serves the powerful, we are all victims. You might not feel it today, but there will come a time when this failed system will hit you where it hurts. Maybe it won’t be a heart transplant you need, but it could be a job you can’t find, a school fee you can’t pay, or a loved one you lose because the hospital had no oxygen. Cedric’s story is a mirror, reflecting the harsh reality we all face. He reached out for help because, like many of us, he was pushed to the edge by a system that doesn’t care enough. Mocking his GoFundMe wasn’t just cruel—it was a symptom of how deep this rot runs.
Some of you mocked Cedric because of his political affiliations or who he was close to. Let’s talk about that. Yes, we have different ideologies—NRM, PLU, NUP, FDC, DP, or none at all. That’s normal in any society. But when did we decide that someone’s political stance or friendships justify celebrating their pain or dancing on their grave? If the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) or anyone in power commits human rights abuses, hold them accountable. Don’t drag their friends or family into it. Cedric wasn’t the CDF. He wasn’t a torturer. He was a young man fighting for his life.
Blaming him for the sins of others is lazy and dishonest. It’s a coward’s way of dodging the real culprits. This culture of mocking suffering, especially when someone is on the “other side,” is a poison we need to purge. Cedric’s death isn’t a victory for anyone. It’s a loss—a reminder that our system let another Ugandan down. You might cheer today because he wasn’t in your political camp, but tomorrow, it could be you or someone you love begging for help in a hospital with no medicine or a courtroom with no justice. We are all one crisis away from feeling the full weight of this failed system. Rich or poor, connected or not, none of us are immune.
What Cedric needed was a functioning healthcare system that could save him without forcing him to beg online. What he deserved was compassion, not cruelty. Instead, some chose to mock his pain, as if his struggle was a joke. That’s not who we should be as Ugandans. We are better than this—or at least we should strive to be. Until we have leaders who truly care about every Ugandan, who build systems that work for all of us, we will keep losing Cedrics. And every time we do, we lose a piece of our humanity.
So, to those who mocked Cedric’s sickness, his GoFundMe, and now his death: shame on you. Your laughter doesn’t make you strong; it exposes your weakness. It shows how far we’ve fallen as a people when we celebrate suffering instead of fighting the system that causes it. Cedric’s story should be a wake-up call. We need to demand better—better healthcare, better governance, and better accountability. We need leaders who see every Ugandan as worthy of dignity, not just those who share their politics or pay their way.
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