The opposition leader in Uganda’s Parliament has described Ugandan-born Zohran Mamdani’s triumph in the New York mayoral election as a “powerful inspiration,” even as he admitted that such political milestones remain a distant dream for many Africans under entrenched leadership. Joel Ssenyonyi, who represents a district in the capital city of Kampala, said Mamdani’s victory demonstrates what is possible when democracy truly works. “It’s a big encouragement even to us here in Uganda that it’s possible,” Ssenyonyi told reporters. “But we have a long way to get there.”
Jocomms Correspondent reports that Mamdani, born in Kampala in 1991, is the son of renowned political theorist Mahmood Mamdani. He left Uganda at age five when his family relocated to South Africa, later moving to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen in 2018 while retaining his Ugandan nationality. His meteoric political rise in America, culminating in his election as New York’s first African-born mayor, has ignited discussions across Uganda about governance, opportunity, and the barriers young Africans face in politics at home.
Uganda has been under the rule of President Yoweri Museveni for nearly four decades, a tenure marked by repeated opposition crackdowns and disputed elections. His main challenger, Bobi Wine, continues to allege electoral fraud in the 2021 polls, keeping tensions high ahead of the next presidential contest. As Ugandans celebrate Mamdani’s success abroad, one question lingers—can Uganda one day create the political freedom that allows its own sons and daughters to rise just as high at home? Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.
