The cultivation of character

What the report says

The Independent Uganda published a personal column by Andrew M. Mwenda reflecting on the life and death of Fred Gyezaho, whom Mwenda describes as the man his wife, Fifi, regarded as her father. Mwenda writes that Gyezaho was taken to hospital on Monday, July 13, and that after efforts to secure blood for him, Mwenda later received a message from his wife saying Gyezaho had died.

The column explains that Gyezaho was not Fifi’s biological father but became her father figure after marrying her elder sister, Margaret. According to Mwenda, Margaret brought Fifi to Kampala when she was a young child, and after Margaret’s death in 1995, Gyezaho raised the children in the household. Mwenda presents the family as unusually close, attributing much of that cohesion to Gyezaho’s quiet example and parenting.

Mwenda’s tribute focuses less on official biography and more on character. He portrays Gyezaho as modest, calm, religious, loyal to friends and dedicated to work. The article says Gyezaho worked at State House but did not use that association, or his family link to First Lady Janet Museveni through Margaret, to seek status or influence.

The piece matters mainly as a public remembrance and moral reflection rather than a conventional news report. Mwenda uses Gyezaho’s life to argue that simplicity, restraint, generosity and service can leave a lasting legacy through family, friends, colleagues and community.