Lavish Wedding Bash: NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Exclusive Celebration in Uganda Raises Eyebrows
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani celebrated his recent marriage with a three-day-long exclusive bash in his native Uganda, sparking controversy over its opulence and timing. The party, held at Mamdani’s family’s private compound in a wealthy area outside of Kampala, featured masked military security, a cellphone jamming system, and high-end vehicles, including Mercedes and a Range Rover, ferrying guests to the event. Over 20 special forces command unit guards, some in masks, were stationed outside the compound, which has at least three security gates and sits on two acres of land with views of Lake Victoria.
The celebration, which included music, food, and dancing, drew criticism for its perceived insensitivity, as it coincided with the country’s mourning of former Ugandan Supreme Court Judge George Kanyeihamba’s death on July 14. “People are still in mourning,” one person told the New York Post, calling the wedding celebration “insensitive”. Notably, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s caravan blocked off the street at one point when he visited the neighborhood to pay his respects.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and moved to New York at age 7, announced his trip to Uganda in a video posted on social media, joking about critics telling him to “go back to Africa.” He emphasized that the trip was personal, to celebrate his marriage to Rama Duwaji, and assured his return to New York by the end of the month to resume his mayoral campaign.
