"Armed Guards, Phone Jammers": Inside Zohran Mamdani's Lavish Uganda Wedding Bash

NDTV

6 days ago

Kampala:
New York's Indian-origin mayoral frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani, reportedly celebrated his recent marriage to artist and animator Rama Duwaji with a three-day lavish bash at his family's sprawling compound in Uganda. The celebrations held at the sprawling Mamdani family estate in the upscale Buziga Hill neighbourhood outside Kampala were a heavily fortified affair, complete with armed military-style guards in masks, a phone-jamming system, and multiple security gates, according to a report by the New York Post.
Uganda-born 33-year-old Mamdani had eloped with Duwaji, 27, in February. On Sunday, he informed his social media followers that he was heading to his homeland to celebrate his nuptials with filmmaker mother, Mira Nair, and professor father, Mahmood Mamdani, who own the property in one of Uganda's richest neighborhood-- home to billionaire businessmen like Godfrey Kirumira, who have stakes in real estate, tourism, petroleum and infrastructure.
Inside Mamdani's Mega Celebrations
Per the post report, the heavily guarded Mamdani estate was transformed into a party pad for the festivities, with Christmas lights strung through the canopy of trees in the garden and music blaring. Luxury buses and cars like Mercedes and a Range Rover were seen driving to the compound on Tuesday, the report cited sources as saying.
"Outside the Mamdani house were more than 20 special forces command unit guards, some in masks, and there was a phone-jamming system set up - and all for the strictly invite-only Mamdani event...One gate had around nine guards stationed at it," one witness told The Post.
On Thursday, revellers reportedly danced to music from a local DJ while enjoying fruit juices, a typical addition for Indian-style events.
The New York mayoral nominee reportedly addressed his guests later in the evening, with the party ending after midnight.
"Then on Friday, inside the compound, there were military style tents being taken down when the party had finished...Then what looked like Mamdani's personal security guards took over at the gates," they added.
Per the Post report, houses neighbouring the Mamdani estate--that sits on two acres of lush gardens and a panoramic view of Lake Victoria-- can easily fetch more than $1 million. Mamdani's wealthy parents, 67-year-old Nair and her 78-year-old anti-Israel political theorist husband, live on the property in Uganda where the Democrat was born, but also split their time between New York and New Delhi.
Kampala-native Mamdani moved to New York when he was 7 and became a US citizen in 2018. He met his Duwaji at a dating app, Hinge, and announced his marriage earlier this year. The pair now share a rent-stabilised apartment in Astoria.
Outrage Over Celebrations
As the Mamdani family celebrated their son's wedding, their neighbours were in mourning for former Ugandan Supreme Court Judge George Kanyeihamba, a neighbour who died on July 14. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni came to the area to pay his respects to Kanyeihamba, and "the street was blocked by the president's cars," according to a local.
It's unclear if Museveni also attended Mamdani's party.
Given the sensitivity of the situation, some locals called Mamdani's wedding bash "insensitive."
"Because of the culture here, it was insensitive to have a wedding celebration in the same week as mourning - or 'Okukungubaga' - as it's called here...People are still in mourning," one local said, pointing in the direction of Kanyeihamba's house, about three minutes away from the Mamdani property.
"He has not even been buried, and we have his friends coming to give last words and to mourn before the burial next week, yet Mamdani is celebrating his wedding for three days," they added.
However, the Mamdani property is isolated enough that some locals weren't even aware of the three-day wedding extravaganza.