Mahamed has been a youth and community worker for over 26 years, supporting the most marginalised young people in London. This support has come in the form of gang intervention and diversion workshops, employment support and general on street engagement.
Mahamed is also the co-founder of Brixton Soup Kitchen, created in January 2013 with Solomon Smith, both Lambeth youth workers and lifelong Brixtonians. It provides free food, support and company, to empower people in a warm and friendly environment – helping them gain the confidence and self-worth needed to get back on their feet.
He has also been a representative on the Lambeth Safer Neighbourhood Board, the Lambeth Stop & Search Monitoring Group (former chair), Pan London Community Monitoring Network for Stop and search (former chair), as well as the Black Mental Health Commission in Lambeth.
In 2018 he became the first Elected Somali Councillor in Lambeth, representing Stockwell Ward and won the national LGIU councillor achievement award. He is currently the cabinet member for Safer Communities in Lambeth with responsibility for the Council’s approach to tackling hate crime and combatting domestic violence. He oversees the highly regarded Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG), the Youth Offending Service (YOS) and violence reduction as well as the Council’s licensing enforcement function.