New York City mayoral frontrunner and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani recently concluded a three-day wedding celebration at his family’s luxury estate in Uganda, drawing attention and criticism for the event’s extravagance, timing, and high-security measures.
Mamdani, 33, had quietly allegedly eloped in February this year with artist and animator and pro-Hamas activist Rama Duwaji, 27.
They traveled to Uganda this week to celebrate their nuptials with his parents and extended family. The celebrations took place at the Mamdani family’s secluded, upscale compound on Buziga Hill, an affluent suburb of Kampala overlooking Lake Victoria. The property, owned by Mamdani’s mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, and father, political theorist Mahmood Mamdani, is known for its panoramic views, expansive gardens, and strict privacy.
According to sources in the neighborhood, the residence was transformed into a party venue for the week, with music blaring late into the night, buses and luxury vehicles such as Mercedes and a Range Rover seen arriving at the gates, and the garden decorated with strings of Christmas lights.
The event was tightly secured, with more than 20 guards in military-style uniforms and some masked, stationed at multiple gates. Witnesses said a phone-jamming system was also in place to ensure privacy and restrict external communication. “One gate had around nine guards stationed at it,” said a local source to New York Post, adding that the event was strictly invite-only.
Man of the people!
Zohran Mamdani has yet another wedding party on his Ugandan compound, complete with armed military guards and phone jamming system. pic.twitter.com/8ATuwrpKcq
— Jason Curtis Anderson (@JCAndersonNYC) July 26, 2025
The couple’s wedding festivities included local DJs, Indian-style fruit juice offerings, and speeches by Mamdani himself. According to a witness, his voice could be heard on a microphone addressing guests during one of the nights, and the party extended past midnight. After the event, tents were seen being dismantled, and private security replaced the special forces guarding the entrances.
.@ZohranKMamdani says no human is illegal, and that every illegal alien is welcome. He said he won’t comply with @ICEgov @RealTomHoman if he becomes Mayor of NYC.
However, @LoomeredStrat obtained photos of the Mamdani compound where Zohran just had his wedding. The home is… pic.twitter.com/ltQJKiPY8B
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 27, 2025
The event was not publicly announced in advance, and many local residents were unaware of the celebrations. Despite Mamdani’s rising profile in the U.S., locals in the neighborhood were more concerned with everyday survival than celebrity politics. “We’re just trying to win the bread and make sure our families are OK,” one resident remarked.
Some neighbors criticized the event’s timing, citing the death of former Ugandan Supreme Court Justice George Kanyeihamba, who lived nearby and passed away on 14 July 2025. Mourning rituals, known locally as “Okukungubaga,” were ongoing during the time of the wedding. President Yoweri Museveni reportedly visited Kanyeihamba’s residence during the mourning period, temporarily shutting down nearby roads. “It was insensitive to have a wedding celebration in the same week as mourning,” a local resident told reporters.
Mamdani, a native of Kampala who moved to the U.S. at age 7 and became a citizen in 2018, is widely viewed as a progressive voice in New York politics. He and Duwaji, an illustrator, currently reside in a rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria, Queens. The couple met on the dating app Hinge.
Hypocrisy’s Name Is Zohran Mamdani
The contrast between Zohran Mamdani’s public image and private conduct has not gone unnoticed. Despite branding himself as a democratic socialist who advocates for wealth redistribution, housing justice, and public accountability, Mamdani’s lavish overseas wedding, complete with armed guards, privacy jammers, and luxury trappings, has drawn criticism for hypocrisy. Detractors have also pointed out that while Mamdani has vocally supported gun control and police demilitarization in New York, his Ugandan wedding featured a conspicuous security presence, with masked guards in military gear patrolling the gates. Critics argue the spectacle undermines his claims of solidarity with the working class, and casts doubt on the authenticity of his progressive platform.
(With inputs from New York Post)
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