As New York City’s mayoral race enters its final stretch, frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is confronting renewed scrutiny over allegations involving his father, the Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani.The controversy arises from claims made by Dr Stella Nyanzi, a Ugandan academic and LGBTQ+ activist, who says that in 2016, Mahmood Mamdani—then director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR)—locked her out of her office, stopped her pay, and blocked her from teaching a course on queer African studies.According to a report in the New York Post, Nyanzi had accused Mamdani of publicly misrepresenting her work as an effort to “teach homosexuality to students,” an accusation that carried serious danger in Uganda, where same-sex relationships remain criminal offences.In protest, Nyanzi staged an extraordinary act of defiance: she stripped naked, taped her mouth shut, and chained herself to the gates of Makerere University. The act drew international attention and triggered debate over academic freedom, gender rights, and political control in Uganda’s universities.Nyanzi later said she faced a campaign of intimidation, including detention without trial, a travel ban, frozen bank accounts, and a forced psychiatric evaluation. In 2020, she won a lawsuit against Makerere University and was awarded $32,200 in damages, though she maintains that the university has still not repaid her withheld salary.For his part, Mahmood Mamdani has defended his handling of the situation. He said Nyanzi was disciplined because she refused to teach within the PhD programme at MISR, which he argued undermined the institute’s academic standards and credibility with donors.The resurfacing of these allegations has come at an awkward moment for Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign has focused on themes of equality, justice, and immigrant representation. Earlier this year, he faced criticism after being photographed with Rebecca Kadaga, Uganda’s Deputy Prime Minister and a prominent supporter of the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.While Zohran Mamdani has not been accused of wrongdoing, the renewed spotlight on his father’s role in Uganda’s political and academic controversies has introduced an unwelcome distraction in the closing phase of the campaign. It underscores how the personal and political can blur easily in a race already defined by questions of identity, ideology, and conviction.
Zohran Mamdani’s past controversies
1. “Globalize the intifada” remarksMamdani’s use of the phrase “globalize the intifada” drew backlash from Jewish organisations and donors, who accused him of endorsing violence. He defended it as a call for Palestinian liberation and human rights.2. Racial identification controversyReports revealed that Mamdani had selected both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on a college application, prompting debate about racial identity and political presentation.3. Radical housing and taxation policiesHis proposals for rent freezes, free public transit, and higher taxes on “richer and whiter” neighbourhoods unsettled moderate Democrats and business leaders, who labelled his agenda divisive.4. Islamophobic and citizenship attacksCritics on the right questioned his loyalty and citizenship, citing his Ugandan birth and Muslim identity. Trump-aligned commentators accused him of “anti-American” sympathies, though no evidence supported such claims.5. Luxury dining backlashHe was recently criticised for dining at an upscale Manhattan restaurant while promoting himself as a working-class candidate living in a rent-stabilised apartment — an image clash that prompted accusations of hypocrisy.Together, these controversies paint a picture of a candidate both celebrated and polarising — a politician whose message of justice and identity continues to attract fervent supporters and determined critics alike.
