Zohran Mamdani stepped into the spotlight on November 4, 2025, as he clinched victory in the New York City mayoral race.
Mamdani beat former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa.
He did so with over 50% of the vote in what analysts have termed as clear, decisive, and historic.
Mamdani becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor, its first South Asian-American in the top office, and the youngest in more than a century.
But this is only part of the story.
Kampala, South Africa, then New York
Zohran Mamdani had a childhood folded across continents. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991.
Young Zohran ate plantains and maize porridge. He rode motorcycles (bodas) through Kampala’s traffic.
The hum of motorcycles, the traders, and the university halls where his father taught lend a glimpse to disparity up close.
Zohran Mamdani spent his early years in Cape Town, South Africa. Then to New York.
In Cape Town: post-apartheid shadows, race and class visible in the streets. He absorbed the lesson: justice must be material, not just theoretical.
Our time has come, New York.
Our time is now. pic.twitter.com/9Sg8jwoBrs
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 4, 2025
In New York: Queens, Astoria, the subway’s rumble; he learnt how the city moves.
These African roots formed the backbone of his campaign.
Rent freezes. Free buses. City-owned grocery stores. His platform mirrors the everyday: food, transit, shelter.
He talked about “making the city affordable again”. He talked about dignity for working-class New Yorkers.
READ ALSO: Are Ugandans Generally Smarter than Kenyans?
The coalition he built spans South Asian, Black, Latino, and Arab communities. He stitched together groups often sidelined.
Young voters. Tenants. Labour unions. The story of migration and hope meets city politics.
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