Jinja man carried as a baby by Bill Clinton seeks reunion with former US President 28 years later

A Ugandan man named after former United States President Bill Clinton is seeking to reconnect with the American leader, 28 years after their chance meeting in Jinja District.

Kaligana Bill Clinton Muwanguzi was only a few days old when Clinton carried him during a visit to Wanyange in March 1998.

Julius Mucunguzi, the spokesperson of Uganda’s Electoral Commission, met Muwanguzi and shared his story on social media.

Clinton visited Wanyange with his wife, Hillary Clinton, their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni.

During the visit, Clinton met Muwanguzi’s mother, Betty Namugosa, who was preparing pancakes, locally known as kabalagala, as part of her small business.

The American president carried the newborn and reportedly gave him the name Bill Clinton. Photographs of Clinton holding the baby became some of the most memorable images from his trip to Uganda.

Muwanguzi later attended Holy Cross Secondary School in Jinja for his O-Level education before completing A-Level at London College of St Lawrence.

His mother initially remained in contact with the Clinton family and occasionally received telephone calls from them. Mucunguzi said the family also received support towards the boy’s tuition fees through Western Union.

However, communication later stopped, and the two families lost contact.

Now a young man with ambitions of becoming a football coach, Muwanguzi hopes to reconnect with Clinton and the Clinton Foundation.

“The young man, whose passion is to become a football coach, seeks and wishes to reconnect with his friend and hopes this message will reach them,” Mucunguzi wrote.

Clinton visited Uganda on March 24 and 25, 1998, during a wider tour of six African countries. The trip made him the first sitting US president to visit Uganda.

While in Wanyange, Clinton inspected the work of the Foundation for International Community Assistance, an American-founded organisation that offered small loans to people who could not qualify for conventional bank financing.

He praised the borrowers for using their skills and reputations to build businesses despite lacking the assets normally required by commercial banks.

Clinton also visited Kisowera Primary School in Mukono, where he met Peace Corps volunteers and promoted an education initiative.

The visit concluded with a regional leaders’ meeting in Entebbe attended by leaders from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Clinton’s broader African tour focused on trade, investment, education, development, women’s economic empowerment and a new partnership between Africa and the United States.