In the eyes of an Orphan

A good home, then everything changed

Brian Kagyezi grew up in Masaka, Uganda, in a home full of life. His father was the acting Deputy Chief Administrative Officer — a playful, intelligent man the whole town loved. His mother was a businesswoman, beautiful and strong, who made fruit salads at Christmas and kept the house immaculate. Brian was 8 years old, living what he called "the Ugandan dream."

Then the 1990s HIV pandemic reached their door. By 1998, his father was gone. Two years later, his mother followed. Brian was 10 years old. Both parents buried before he had finished primary school.

She called for him.
One last time.

The last week of her life, his mother was in hospital. They stopped the children from visiting. Feeding tubes. Failing strength. Then, a day before she passed, she sent for Brian specifically — him and one other sibling.

She whispered something in his ear. Words he says he will never forget. Words that, decades later, still shape every decision he makes.

What did she say? That is not something Brian has ever shared lightly. It is something he has carried alone for over twenty years — and something he finally puts into words, for the very first time, inside this book.

What this book is really about

This book contains information about what goes on in the mind of a young child who loses their parents at an early age — their struggles, their motivations, how they interpret the people around them, and most importantly how they view themselves.

Launching on Father's Day, June 21st 2026, it is a love letter to the father Brian barely knew, a challenge to every father still present, and a guide for anyone who has dealt with — or loves someone carrying — the weight of parental loss.