TAKEAWAYS

• Alan Kasujja revealed that he attended his mother’s burial on phone while studying in the UK and relied on friends in Uganda to organize the burial.
• He explained that financial challenges and school expenses prevented him from traveling home at the time of his mother’s death.
• Kasujja said the loss changed him profoundly, inspiring him to live a purposeful life and turn adversity into motivation.

Government spokesperson and media personality Alan Kasujja has shared one of the most painful experiences of his life, revealing that he attended his mother’s burial through a phone call while studying in the United Kingdom.

Speaking on the Mind Your Head UG podcast hosted by Canary Mugume and Sheilah Tusiime, Kasujja opened up about profound grief, loneliness, depression, and the difficult journey that shaped the man he is today.

Recalling the heartbreaking period, Kasujja revealed that he was unable to travel back home for his mother’s burial due to financial constraints. Instead, he relied on friends in Uganda to organize and oversee the burial arrangements while he followed everything remotely.

“I attended my mother’s burial on phone, and depended on my friends here to bury her for me,” he said.

At the time, Kasujja was still a student in the UK and struggling financially. He explained that he barely had enough money to sustain himself, let alone purchase a ticket home.

“I had about 30 pounds on my account and hadn’t been paid yet,” he recalled.

He added that even if his salary had come through, it still would not have been enough because he was financing his own education and meeting other essential expenses.

“Even if I had been paid, there wasn’t enough because I was still paying my way through school,” he shared.

The loss of his mother became a turning point in his life. Kasujja explained that the tragedy forced him to mature quickly and take greater responsibility for his future.

According to him, losing his mother changed his outlook on life and inspired him to live with greater purpose and determination.

“I live a purposeful life and I’m grateful for the fact that I’m here now, for the life I’ve lived and the things I’ve seen, places I’ve been to and the fact that I made lemonade out of lemons and I continue to do that,” he said.

Despite enduring grief, financial struggles, and isolation while living abroad, Kasujja says those experiences taught him resilience and helped him appreciate the value of friendship, perseverance, and purpose.

Today, he looks back on those difficult moments not with bitterness, but with gratitude for how they shaped his character and motivated him to keep moving forward despite life’s challenges.