A Memoir  ·  Now Available

In the eyes of an Orphan

By  Brian Kagyezi

Reader Reviews  ·  What people are saying
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★★★★★

A story that stays with you long after the last page. PBK writes with a honesty that is rare no self-pity, just truth.

Dennis Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

I picked it up on a Friday and finished it by Saturday morning. I could not put it down.

Linda Kampala, Uganda
★★★★☆

I have read many memoirs. This one is different. The writing is calm, but the weight behind every sentence is enormous.

Michael T Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

When I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down until three hours later when I was done. It’s that captivating. It opened my eyes to notice certain patterns and traits like being hyper independent, short tempered, shutting out people and also offered solutions. Everyone needs to read this book. I highly recommend.

Mercy Pabire Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

This book helped me understand the concept of the orphan spirit, it brought to light aspects of it in me that I did not know, shinning a light on how hidden and effective it is in taking root, but finding expression through insidious coping mechanisms, this book will open you up in ways you are not prepared for. It is a must read for those who seek to understand the spirit of the times and how to identify and master it within yourself, but also how to see it manifest in those around us, providing solutions on how to not only root it out and live your God given potential; but to also help other trapped in the cycle.

Kange Noah Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

A story that stays with you long after the last page. PBK writes with a honesty that is rare no self-pity, just truth.

Dennis Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

I picked it up on a Friday and finished it by Saturday morning. I could not put it down.

Linda Kampala, Uganda
★★★★☆

I have read many memoirs. This one is different. The writing is calm, but the weight behind every sentence is enormous.

Michael T Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

When I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down until three hours later when I was done. It’s that captivating. It opened my eyes to notice certain patterns and traits like being hyper independent, short tempered, shutting out people and also offered solutions. Everyone needs to read this book. I highly recommend.

Mercy Pabire Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

This book helped me understand the concept of the orphan spirit, it brought to light aspects of it in me that I did not know, shinning a light on how hidden and effective it is in taking root, but finding expression through insidious coping mechanisms, this book will open you up in ways you are not prepared for. It is a must read for those who seek to understand the spirit of the times and how to identify and master it within yourself, but also how to see it manifest in those around us, providing solutions on how to not only root it out and live your God given potential; but to also help other trapped in the cycle.

Kange Noah Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

A story that stays with you long after the last page. PBK writes with a honesty that is rare no self-pity, just truth.

Dennis Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

I picked it up on a Friday and finished it by Saturday morning. I could not put it down.

Linda Kampala, Uganda
★★★★☆

I have read many memoirs. This one is different. The writing is calm, but the weight behind every sentence is enormous.

Michael T Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

When I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down until three hours later when I was done. It’s that captivating. It opened my eyes to notice certain patterns and traits like being hyper independent, short tempered, shutting out people and also offered solutions. Everyone needs to read this book. I highly recommend.

Mercy Pabire Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

This book helped me understand the concept of the orphan spirit, it brought to light aspects of it in me that I did not know, shinning a light on how hidden and effective it is in taking root, but finding expression through insidious coping mechanisms, this book will open you up in ways you are not prepared for. It is a must read for those who seek to understand the spirit of the times and how to identify and master it within yourself, but also how to see it manifest in those around us, providing solutions on how to not only root it out and live your God given potential; but to also help other trapped in the cycle.

Kange Noah Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

A story that stays with you long after the last page. PBK writes with a honesty that is rare no self-pity, just truth.

Dennis Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

I picked it up on a Friday and finished it by Saturday morning. I could not put it down.

Linda Kampala, Uganda
★★★★☆

I have read many memoirs. This one is different. The writing is calm, but the weight behind every sentence is enormous.

Michael T Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

When I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down until three hours later when I was done. It’s that captivating. It opened my eyes to notice certain patterns and traits like being hyper independent, short tempered, shutting out people and also offered solutions. Everyone needs to read this book. I highly recommend.

Mercy Pabire Kampala, Uganda
★★★★★

This book helped me understand the concept of the orphan spirit, it brought to light aspects of it in me that I did not know, shinning a light on how hidden and effective it is in taking root, but finding expression through insidious coping mechanisms, this book will open you up in ways you are not prepared for. It is a must read for those who seek to understand the spirit of the times and how to identify and master it within yourself, but also how to see it manifest in those around us, providing solutions on how to not only root it out and live your God given potential; but to also help other trapped in the cycle.

Kange Noah Kampala, Uganda
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In the Eyes of an Orphan book launch — Hotel Africana

"A room full of people whose lives were about to be changed by a single story."

Father's Day  ·  21 June 2026  ·  Nile Hall, Hotel Africana
Launch photo
Launch photo
Launch photo
Launch photo
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The Mission Continues

Beyond the book — into every district

This story was always bigger than a book. As we place copies into the hands of readers across Uganda and beyond, we are simultaneously laying the groundwork for something lasting — The Chariot Youth Social Center. In partnership with NGOs and government, we are establishing these centers in over 20 districts across Uganda, creating safe spaces where the message of this memoir becomes a lived reality for young people who need it most.

"Every copy purchased is a voice given — and a center one step closer."

20+ Districts in Uganda
3 Editions Available
1 Story. Many Lives.
Get the Book All Editions & Pricing →
Launch Gallery

An evening to remember

Father's Day · Hotel Africana, Nile Hall · Kampala, Uganda

32 photos from the night

View Full Gallery
The Story

One story. 200 million voices behind it.

According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 200 million orphans worldwide.
By population, that would be the world's 7th largest nation.

In the Eyes of an Orphan — Original Artwork

Original artwork · In the Eyes of an Orphan

01

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.

02

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.

03

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.

Chapter Three  ·  The Loss of My Parents
An Excerpt

Read the opening pages

Chapter Three  ·  The Loss of My Parents

The Last Night
of His Life

I remember the last day of his life. It started well — he had been sick for some days. But in the night I woke up and sat in the living room, my spirit unable to sleep, because I was seeing people entering his bedroom a lot. I remember passing the bedroom of my sisters and seeing them still asleep.


My Dad's younger brother passed me in the sitting room and told me to go back to bed, that they would be back soon. I observed they were carrying him to the car.


I helped the gate man to close the gate and sat back in the living room. I remember looking at a lizard in the ceiling corner, moving its tail — making a sound that corresponded to the clock sound and movement. It was the day I learnt lizards can make a sound with their tails. I went back to sleep.


When we woke up, we were told that our father had passed. I looked over to my younger brother, who did not seem to understand what they had told us — but was playing with passion fruits, giving them to the many people that were now in our house, crying.

— 1 —

I observed my mum crying till she had no more strength to cry. I was not crying, but I had perfectly understood what had happened. I guess my young brain was not yet grasping how difficult life was about to get from that day.


Until now I have not seen anyone mourned like the town of Masaka mourned for my Dad. Upon arrival at the village we found the whole village present, from young to old — there was no place to pass. I remember my mum never left the coffin.


During the burial, I was made to put on my dad's clothes and shoes. I was given a spear and a shield, symbolic that I was to be heir. In my young mind I did not know what that meant. So I asked my mum if I was going to stop school and start going to Dad's office. She laughed and said: you have to go back to school first and finish.

"Little did I know it would take me 20 years from that day to ever fit in my Dad's shoes."

I was 8 years old when my Dad passed away.

— 2 —

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Brian Kagyezi — Author of In the Eyes of an Orphan

Meet the Author

Brian
Kagyezi

Brian Kagyezi was born on 26th April 1990 in Mbarara District, Uganda — the third born of Mr. Kagyezi Kabagambe Benon and Mrs. Josbel Karungi. He lost both parents to HIV before the age of 10, and raised himself through government schools, recording studios, and eventually a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from Makerere University.

Today he is happily married to Mrs. Kagyezi Doreen, and together they have two daughters — Celine Kemigisha and Crystal Brianna. He is the Vision Bearer of Pneuma Word Church International, one of Uganda's fastest-growing churches, a director on several organisational boards, and the founder of BKI — Brian Kagyezi Investments Ltd. He is also the author of The Chariot Scrolls devotional and Making Room for the Holy Spirit.

"I was eighteen years old when I discovered my purpose. Before that, I was just surviving. This book is for everyone still in that in-between place."