In Uganda, where Zohran Mamdani was born, NYC mayoral hopeful is recalled with pride

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) – In the Ugandan newsroom where he appeared one day as an intern, Zohran Mamdani looked shy and unassuming. His father had arranged for him to spend time at the Daily Monitor newspaper with hope that the teenager would show more interest in current affairs.

“He told me himself: He had to go every evening and have a conversation with his dad about the current affairs of the day,” recalled Angelo Izama, the journalist who was tasked with mentoring Mamdani in 2007 in the capital of his native Uganda, Kampala.

Mamdani wanted to be a “top reporter,” which is how Izama recalled saving the young man’s number in his cellphone. While sports was the teen’s passion, he also “had insatiable curiosity about the world” around him.

“He was very, very curious as a young person,” said Izama, who remained in touch with Mamdani for years after his months-long experience as a journalist. “This is something that will stay with him forever.”

Now the 34-year-old Mamdani, who has kept his Ugandan citizenship, could become New York City’s first Muslim mayor and the first of Indian descent. Tuesday is the final day of voting as he faces Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.

Izama told The Associated Press he was not surprised by Mamdani’s rise in U.S. politics and described him as a role model not just for fellow Ugandans and other Africans but young people everywhere.

“I think he’s basically global, not so much Ugandan and not so much American,” Izama said.

Mamdani was born in Kampala in 1991. His father is Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia professor who taught for many years at Uganda’s top public college, Makerere University, and whose academic writings are influential in the field of postcolonial studies. His mother is filmmaker Mira Nair, whose work has been nominated for an Academy Award. He is an only child.

The Mamdanis split their time among the U.S., India and Uganda, where they have a hillside home in a wealthy area of Kampala. In July, the family gathered here to celebrate Zohran Mamdani’s marriage, underscoring their Ugandan roots.

Some Ugandans who have known Mamdani over the years say that while he may not be fluent in the local Luganda dialect, he understands the language and is proud of his local background.

“We shouldn’t just be proud of Mamdani,” said Joseph Beyanga, a media manager who is among those who mentored Mamdani at the Daily Monitor. “We should be very excited.”

Beyanga said he felt “challenged” by Mamdani’s ambition, calling it a civic lesson for young Africans who feel alienated from politics as aging leaders are accused of overstaying their time in power. They include Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has led the country since 1986.

Izama said Mamdani “brings a role-model charge that would electrify Africa, which is full of talent,” adding that “there is reason for us to be very proud.”

Mamdani left Uganda as a child but regularly returned. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2018. Before he became a New York assemblyman in 2021, the self-described democratic socialist was a community organizer in the New York borough of Queens, helping vulnerable homeowners facing eviction.

Mamdani’s win over Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary sent a shockwave through the political world. His campaign has focused on lowering the cost of living, promising free city buses, free childcare, a rent freeze for people living in rent-stabilized apartments and government-run grocery stores, all paid for with taxes on the wealthy.

His candidacy has attracted the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who alleged without evidence that Mamdani was in the U.S. “illegally.” Some Republicans have called for Mamdani’s denaturalization and deportation.

Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama has reportedly offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, and endorsements have come in from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Yet Mamdani’s rocketing success would not be easily replicated in Uganda, said Nicholas Sengoba, an independent political analyst in Kampala.

His rise shows “that America is a land of opportunity for the free and the brave,” he said. “The irony is that in Uganda you would have to put in a big fight for it. You would have to blast your way into the door.”