Ugandans still abuzz over Zohran Mamdani win

KAMPALA - If there is anything Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s victory in the recent New York City mayoral elections has achieved, it is uniting Ugandans.

Not that they have been divided, but naturally, for a country that is still in the news over the recent floods that submerged shops in down town Kampala and whose name is often tied to the tumultuous leadership of former President Idi Amin, seeing the black, yellow and red flag flying proudly on the global stage for the right reasons brings a sense of pride.

To many, Zohran’s triumph has sparked a sense of possibility, a belief that they, too, can dream. And yet, for those who watched Zohran grow into the man he has become, like veteran ragga dancehall artiste Suleiman Kamulegeya Alpha, alias KS Alpha, his breaking of the glass ceiling was only a matter of time.

While speaking to New Vision Online on November 6, 2025, Kamulegeya, whose song Bilingi featured as a soundtrack in the 2016 Disney film Queen of Katwe, said he had always kept that at the back of his mind.

“He is a cool guy, bambi. I remember when Queen of Katwe was being shot, I think that was the first time I met him…,” said Alpha.

“I went to their house in Buziga, which is next to Cassia Lodge. He is a good guy and growing up in a family of a film director (Mira Nair), professor (Mahmood Mamdani), the level of articulating and internalising issues ebeera ndala nyo (is on another level). Kyova olaba, engeri gyabakuba (that’s why the way he does things), is totally different from normal stuff,” he added.

Creative background

For those who may not know, before Zohran’s victory, his mother, Nair, had already blessed our screens with Mississippi Masala, a film she directed. The 1991 movie follows an Indian family expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin, who later settles in Mississippi.

However, as fate would have it, their daughter Mina falls in love with an African American, Demetrius, whose real name Denzel Washington, sparking a rift within the family which is yet to heal from yesterday’s wounds.

Zohran, alias Young Cardamom, on the other hand, needs no introduction as far as Luga-flow rap is concerned.

The most famous of his songs with HAB, the other half of the singing duo which has gained mileage after he attained global stardom, is Kanda or Chap Chap. It was produced by Hannington Muhumuza, alias Hannz Tactic, the same producer who was behind Rabadaba’s Mukyamu-kyamu.

Zohran’s other track, PSV, opens with a playful fusion of Luganda and English;

“Basebo ne banyabo, mugenda wa? You guy, even your nyumba is not too far. You’re meeting someone, bali wa? This trip is even cheaper than a samosa. He’ll take you where you’re going, just accept the offer. Otherwise, get ready to tambula. Coz everybody knows he’s got the best taxi, with the best back seat, with room for all your luggage and your own two feet. Walai, it’s the truth, why don’t you sit and see?”

That’s before HAB enters listing for the city suburbs of Ggaba and Kabalagala.

And while Zohran may have kept his musical genius on the low, the outpouring from Uganda’s creatives after his win has exposed his many talents to the world. More importantly, even those from his former circle are beginning to see how perception and sheer tenacity can shape new possibilities.

Creatives speak out

Speaking to a Jakarta-based Metro TV, former XFM Breakfast show host Siima Kyakuhaire Sabiiti described the entire spectacle as unbelievable.

“I remember the times when we used to hang out with him. I remember he had a very interesting rucksack, it was a jerrycan which he had turned into a rucksack. I was thinking to myself, gosh, I can’t believe we were hanging out with the future mayor of New York,” Siima exclaimed. 

“And particularly, in the times we are living in where things are so decisive, I felt really inspired that somebody like him can rise to the levels of political office that he has done and in the way he has done it. I think it's incredible,” she added.

In a separate interview with Associated Press, comedian Richard Tuwangye attributed the latter’s triumph to the mother who pushed boundaries to get Disney to produce local Ugandan stories.

“About him being proud of being Ugandan, I would be surprised if anyone was not proud to be a Ugandan. This is the best country, naturally, in the world,” Tuwangye opined.  

If space allowed, we could talk until tomorrow. But for now, just as Kenya had former United States (US) President Barack Hussein Obama, Uganda now has its own bragging rights in Zohran. 

Way to go!