Cedric Babu was supreme talent in lawn tennis

Until his death on May 31, former tennis star CEDRIC BABU NDILIMA was one of the most recognizable figures in Ugandan sport.

He played the sport at the highest level, led its administration and was on course for global leadership. Cedric, as he was commonly known, was also known to be ‘well-connected,’ living a seemingly high life that could get him whatever he wanted.

The last few days of his life may have been mired with controversy over his closeness to ‘power’ but nothing takes away the fact that he elevated the sport of tennis to give it international recognition, writes Mark Namanya.

Cedric Babu Ndilima, who passed away last week aged 50 after a heart complication, was a man who wore many hearts. To some, he was the son of renowned NRM stalwart Francis Babu and his ex-wife Olive Kigongo.

To others, he was a sports administrator who served as president of the Uganda Tennis Association (UTA) before stepping down for Matt Nalyanya. There were others who knew him as a close friend of chief of defence forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Cedric was a regular at all events of Gen Muhoozi; be it the birthday celebrations or the most recent marathon to mark the general’s 51st birthday. But to the people who knew Cedric from his teenage days, they remember an abundantly talented tennis player who dedicated himself to the game.

Dennis Mbidde Ssebugwawo, a former Fufa vice president and Lubaga South parliamentary candidate, was Cedric’s classmate and friend at St Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) in the 80s. He recalls a young man who was a natural talent in tennis.

“Cedric was one of those rare individuals; the game came to him naturally. He was what I can compare to football’s Fred Tamale and Jackson Mayanja. Things came effortlessly to them and that was the case for Cedric when he stepped onto the court,” Mbidde narrates.

“I recall a tennis game in 1989 or 1990 when he took on Paul Busharizi who was in A-level and we were in O-level. Busharizi was a very good tennis player but obviously we came out in numbers to support our own Cedric, who was the smaller, younger and less fancied.

But what happened afterwards will remain etched in my head forever. Cedric simply cleaned Busharizi on the court; he was too much for ‘Bush.’ Cedric nearly killed Busharizi that day, he was impeccable from start to finish. That day, Cedric showed ‘Bush’ no respect on the court.”

For Brian Rwabogo, another classmate of his who also happened to be a neighbour in Kololo, Cedric was a human being ‘who always meant well.’

“He was always helpful and would always go out to help and support whenever he could,” Rwabogo recalls.

“He dealt with people directly and for him, a spade was a spade and a spoon was a spoon. But Cedric was also a respectful man who never tried to front or show that he grew up in privilege. He always wanted to be a down-to-earth person.”

While tennis is what he is famed for, Cedric was an all-round athlete in his SMACK days.

“Yes, he was a very competitive and gifted tennis player who controlled the games he engaged in. But Cedric was also a good rugby player, something which not so many people recall because of the dedication he gave tennis.

But in all the sports he engaged in, he seemed to thrive in punching above his weight. Despite being the smaller man, he competed against bigger and older players in all the sports he participated in and he held his ground. At no point was he ever exposed,” Rwabogo notes.

“It is also important to note that this was a guy – a mere student – who repaired tennis courts when we were in school, enticed many of us to play the game and had a vision to transform the game not just in his school but the country,” a somber Rwabogo adds.

Cedric would go on to boost his tennis career while in the US and occasionally returned home on national team engagements. Although he never won the prestigious Uganda Open title, he was part of the 2001 Ugandan team that flew the Ugandan flag in the internationally-acclaimed Davis Cup along with stars such as John Oduke, James Komakech and Bob Ndibwami, among others.

Upon retirement, Cedric went on to coach the national tennis before eventually heading the UTA. Cedric, who is survived by wife Carol and three children, was one man who always envisioned a period when the sports sub-sector would be elevated to the highest pedestal in national policy matters.

A few years ago, he narrated to me how he requested, through his friend Gen Muhoozi, to meet President Museveni to air out his grievances as a passionate sportsman and administrator.

“I went and met him at Rwakitura and he gave me ample time to explain myself. I must have spoken for around an hour as the president listened in. In fact, at one point I wondered whether he was actually paying attention to what I was saying,” he recalled.

“When I was done, he beckoned Gen Muhoozi to take me to Mbuya. But as we drove back, I wondered why the president would give me an hour of his ear only to respond with ‘take him to Mbuya.’ Nothing made sense to me at the time,” Cedric remembered.

“When we got to Mbuya and I saw macabre faces of injured soldiers who were part of Uganda’s peace efforts in the region, I even got more confused. That was when Gen Muhoozi told me that what Mzee meant was that sports issues are important, but he has some more important things he must deal with as the leader of the country before he can prioritize sports.”

Ambrose Tashobya, the National Council of Sports (NCS) chairman, says when they joined hands as young sports leaders to redirect the path of the Olympic movement in 2012, Cedric was one of the most upright people they worked with.

“He was reliable and always available. We had a core team that we worked with and you could always rely on his word in times when we needed to know who was with us, and who wasn’t.

“He also had a broader vision of modern sport. Cedric had a global view of sports marketing and always possessed a 21st century sports mind. He was never stuck in old ways; he kept up-to-date with the latest trends in how sport was managed at world level,” Tashobya says.

He adds that Cedric contributed a massive brick to the growth of basketball in Uganda today.

“When he started Kinetic Management Group, his team designed the Friday Night Lights that took the brand of the game to new levels and that bit of his legacy will always be etched in stone.”

On a personal note, Cedric was known for being jovial, stylish, cocky and charming. Over the last few years, Cedric had a stint in politics but burnt his fingers when he lost in his bid to become Kampala Central MP in 2021.

At the time of his death, Cedric was a central figure in the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) where he served as the national vice chairman for Kampala. He will be buried on Saturday in Kamengo, Mpigi district. May his soul rest in eternal peace!

mnamanya80@gmail.com