Veteran journalist Mujuni Raymond has congratulated Zohran Kwame Mamdani on his election as Mayor of New York City, calling it a moment of pride for Uganda and the African diaspora.
Speaking on NBS Morning Breeze on Friday, Mujuni said Mamdani’s victory was both personal and symbolic despite their ideological differences.
“Zohran Mamdani is a personal friend. I'm excited for him to be elected Mayor of New York City although I disagree with his ideas — and he knows it. I am excited because Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan boy from Buziga, has made it to the helm. The Mamdani family has paid great tribute to Uganda. You can't take away the Ugandanness from him,” he said.
Mamdani, 34, a Ugandan-American born in Kampala, made history this week as the youngest person elected Mayor of New York City since 1892. Running on the Democratic Party ticket, he defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo (Independent) and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa.
His election has sparked celebration in Uganda, where many have hailed it as evidence of the country’s expanding global footprint.
The Mamdani family, long respected for their academic and civic contributions, has deep roots in Uganda. Zohran’s father, Professor Mahmood Mamdani, is a renowned scholar and former Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).
During the same television appearance, Mujuni turned his attention to Kampala’s ongoing flooding crisis, criticizing the city’s drainage planning and recent redevelopment projects around the Nakivubo Channel.
“Kampala is a unique city. Despite it being on a high altitude, it also has the largest freshwater lake in East Africa. Kampala also has steep hills, and the Nakivubo Channel has been instrumental in channeling water runoff from these hills,” he noted.
However, Mujuni questioned aspects of the recent Nakivubo Channel redevelopment led by businessman Hamis Kiggundu, suggesting key environmental and engineering concerns were overlooked.
“I think Ham came from a good place, but there were so many common-sense factors that were missed. First of all, I don’t see why Ham started his construction during the rainy season,” Mujuni said.
His remarks come amid widespread flooding that has submerged parts of Kampala following heavy rains, paralysing business in the Central Business District and low-lying areas such as Kisenyi, Katwe, Bwaise, and Nakivubo.
Markets, transport corridors, and small enterprises have suffered major losses, with many critics linking the worsening floods to structural changes made under the Nakivubo redevelopment project — initially promoted as a modern drainage and recreation scheme.