Ugandans are proud of a mayor of New York with roots in their country

Many Ugandans express their pride in New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and maintains dual citizenship.

Some describe him as one of “their own”, saying he inspires them.

A journalist who mentored him during his teenage internship at one of Uganda’s leading newspapers told the BBC there was “a lot of excitement” in Uganda about Mamdani’s rise, particularly because of his young age. Uganda has the second lowest median age in the world at just 16.2 years, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Zohran, 34, is the son of Prof. Mahmoud Mamdani, a prominent Ugandan academic, while his mother Meera Nair is a renowned filmmaker.

Journalist Angelo Izzama told the BBC’s Newsday program that the younger Mamdani was “shy at first” while they worked together but was “absolutely determined to get things done”.

He says Zochran “really loves Kampala,” the capital of Uganda, which he often mentions.

Mahmoud Mamdani grew up in Uganda and worked for more than a decade at Makerere University, the country’s main and oldest university. He met his wife in Kampala while she was researching Mississippi Masala, a film about the expulsion of Asians from Uganda under Idi Amin.

Prof Mamdani is known for his anti-colonialist scholarship which explores the legacy of colonialism in Africa and its impact on governance, identity and justice.

Makerere University professor Okello Ogwang says he “feels great” about Zochran’s success, describing him as “a colleague’s son. This is someone from home”.

“We have one of us there,” he told the BBC.

“It gives me hope that the children we are raising are the hope of this world. As a continent… we are missing out on the greatest resource we have – youth.”

While many Ugandans had not heard of Zokhran until his election, a university student said people were “very happy”, saying it proved anyone could rise above their background.

“It gives morale, especially to us as youths,” Abno Collins Kuloba said. “No matter where you grow up, whether it’s poor or rich, you can become something big, like what (Mamdani) did.”

Another student, Chemtai Zamzam, said she was happy for herself and Ugandans. She said Mamdani was an inspiration to her as a young person as he “showed that we can become anything we want as long as we put in the faith and determination”.

The new mayor is also being celebrated elsewhere on the continent.

Abdul Mohamed, an Ethiopian who is a former senior UN and African Union official, describes Mahmoud Mamdani as “a pre-eminent scholar of African politics”, someone who questions power and justice.

He says he has known Zokhran since childhood and sees him as having inherited his “father’s commitment to Pan-Africanism”, his parents’ “courage to think freely” and their belief that one can “belong anywhere”.

He says Zokhran’s rise is symbolic and practical, especially for young Africans, asking them to draw lessons in politics from him.

“I think through him the power and beauty of multi-ethnic and multi-religious identity found its voice. And Africa as a whole is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society,” he says.

He adds that, as Zokhran demonstrates, young people must organize and build political action and “avoid despair and pure anger.”

Uganda is holding elections next year, with 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni running for a new term after almost 40 years in power.

The Mamdani family also spent about three years in Cape Town, South Africa after Mahmoud was appointed to the University of Cape Town.

Some South Africans are also proud of his historic victory.