Zohran Mamdanis Identity May Seem Complex But To Ugandans He Is Simply Their Own Son

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, has faced backlash in the US over his identity but in Kampala, Ugandans of Indian descent are unquestioningly considered African Amid the trees clustered with jackfruit and the boda boda motorcycles weaving precariously around Kampalas congested roads earlier this year was a campaign poster for Katongole Singh, an immaculately coiffed candidate who positively beamed alongside the president, Yoweri Museveni. With a Sikh Indian surname and an indigenous Ugandan first name, Singh is no rarity in the Ugandan capital, where people of Indian descent have lived for more than 125 years. Many people here boast a multi-hyphenated African Indian identity as indeed does the Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the 33-year-old running for mayor of New York City.