In Uganda, Zahran Mamdani, a candidate for mayor of New York City, remembers it with pride

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — In the Ugandan newsroom where he once appeared as an intern, Zahran Mamdani seemed shy and unassuming. His father had arranged for him to spend time at the Daily Monitor in the hope that the teenager would show a greater interest in current affairs.

“He told me himself: He had to go every evening and talk to his father about the events going on that day,” recalls Angelo Izama, a journalist who was assigned to mentor Mamdani in 2007 in the capital of his native Uganda, Kampala.

Mamdani wanted to become “one of the top reporters,” Azama recalls, saving the young man’s number in his mobile phone. While sports were the teenager’s passion, he “had an insatiable curiosity about the world” around him.

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

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

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

“I think he’s basically international, not very Ugandan and not very American,” Izama said.

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Mamdani was born in Kampala in 1991. His father is Mahmoud Mamdani, a Columbia University 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 director Mira Nair, whose work has been nominated for an Academy Award. He is an only child.

The Mamdani family split their time between the United States, India and Uganda, where they have a hillside house in an affluent area of ​​Kampala. In July, the family gathered here to celebrate Zahran Mamdani’s wedding, underscoring their Ugandan roots.

Some Ugandans who have known Mamdani over the years say that while he may not master 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 Pianga, a media director who was among those who supervised Mamdani at the Daily Monitor. “We should be very excited.”

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

Mamdani “brings a role model that will electrify an Africa full of talent,” Izama said, adding that “there is a reason why we are so proud.”

Mamdani left Uganda as a child but returned regularly. He was naturalized as a US citizen in 2018. Before becoming a member of the New York House of Representatives in 2021, the self-described democratic socialist was a community organizer in the New York borough of Queens, where he helped vulnerable homeowners facing eviction.

Mamdani’s victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primary sent shockwaves through the political world. His campaign focused on lowering the cost of living, promising free city buses, free child care, rent freezes for people living in rent-stabilized apartments and government-run grocery stores, all paid for by taxes on the wealthy.

His nomination caught the attention of US President Donald Trump, who claimed without evidence that Mamdani was in the United States “illegally.” Some Republicans have called for Mamdani’s citizenship to be revoked and for him to be deported.

Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama has reportedly offered to serve as a sounding board for Mamdani, with endorsements coming from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

However, Mamdani’s meteoric success will not be easily replicated in Uganda, said Nicholas Senguba, an independent political analyst in Kampala.

He said his ascension shows “that America is a land of opportunity for the free and the brave.” “The irony is that in Uganda you have to fight a big fight for this. You will have to fight your way in the door.”