Explosive Leak: Zohran Mamdani Grins Beside Ugandan Leader Who Championed Life Sentences for Homosexuality
I saw that picture and my heart sunk. Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner in New York’s mayoral race, is smiling broadly beside Rebecca Kadaga — a Ugandan powerbroker long tied to some of the harshest anti-LGBT laws in the world. That photo, taken during his wedding trip to Uganda, is now fueling furious questions about who he associates with and what he truly stands for.
The meeting wasn’t hidden — it happened in July during his celebration in Uganda, reported by the New York Post. Kadaga, once Speaker of Parliament and now First Deputy Prime Minister, is known for pushing legislation that once sought life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relationships. She once declared such a law would be a “Christmas gift” to supporters. According to campaign sources, Mamdani’s team says he didn’t know who she was when the photo was taken, saying the encounter was spontaneous while at the Entebbe airport. But many aren’t buying that.
His campaign insists Mamdani has long championed LGBTQ+ rights. He’s publicly pledged to safeguard queer and trans New Yorkers, promising sanctuary protections and freedom from persecution. In one statement, he said, “No one should face persecution or be denied care on the basis of their identity.” But critics see a deep inconsistency: how could a candidate so vocal about equality end up posing with someone so deeply linked to oppressive laws?
Uganda’s legislative history casts a dark shadow. In 2023, it passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which prescribes life imprisonment for same-sex conduct and even death in the most extreme “aggravated” cases. The law also criminalizes “promotion” of homosexuality, carrying penalties of up to 20 years. The constitutional court upheld the act in 2024. The result? Human rights groups say Ugandan LGBTQ+ people have faced waves of repression — arrests, raids, harassment, loss of livelihoods. (See Human Rights Watch report)
It’s that contrast — between Mamdani’s New York liberalism and this Ugandan backdrop — that is rattling his campaign. Some LGBTQ+ activists feel betrayed. One prominent critic said Mamdani is either misinformed or misleading voters about his ties. Others call it a test of his judgment and integrity.
On the campaign trail, he already faces scrutiny from rivals. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo has attacked him over his property holdings in Uganda and accused him of silence over Uganda’s anti-gay laws. But this photo cuts deeper — it makes the debate about morality, association, and optics.
What happens now will matter. Will Mamdani explain convincingly how this meeting happened? Will he reaffirm his support for queer New Yorkers in a way that quiets the uproar? Right now, the wedding joy that took him to Uganda has turned into politics’ harshest spotlight.
