Independent Kayodi Damali launches bid for Mayor of Lewisham
Damali, the candidate who calls himself the 'tiktok mayor', launched his campaign to become mayor in the local elections on 7 May.
Damali hosted a combined launch and birthday party on 27 March at Cube Club and Lounge in Catford.
In a speech at the launch Damali said: “I left Lewisham, travelled the world, went up to university, went all over, really trying to discover myself, find my meaning, find what I stand for, and it turns out it was right here in Lewisham this whole time.”
“One thing I do not buy, one thing I refuse to buy is that Lewisham will not be saved. I refuse to buy that Lewisham is crap, I refuse to buy that nothing can be done here and that’s exactly why I’m running for Mayor of Lewisham.”
The launch party. Credit: Lucy Giles
Damali is an entrepreneur and motivational speaker - his content on tiktok focuses on issues in Lewisham and motivational speaking and has been at the forefront of his campaign.
Branded the ‘tiktok mayor’, his following of 15,000 on the platform has powered the launch.
Damali was also a contestant on The Apprentice in 2018.
At the launch party, Herzon, a local young person from Lewisham told Salamander that he came to the event because he saw Damali on tiktok.
His biggest concerns for the borough were safety and opportunities for young people.
Martin had met Damali at Catford Parkrun, where Damali is a Run Director. He told Salamander that he was concerned about cleanliness and the local environment.
Damali told Salamander that the first thing he would do when he became mayor, would be "unite the council, once we unite the council we can help the people.”
The current mayor of Lewisham is Brenda Dacres, who is stepping down. Dacres became a member of the house of lords in January 2026.
The other mayoral candidates alongside Damali are Labour candidate Amanda De Ryk, the Green candidate Liam Shrivastava, Liberal Democrat Josh Matthews and the Conservative party’s Sylbourne Sydial.
Nominations are still open, closing on 9 April and local elections will be held on Thursday 7 May.
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