A Georgia mayor who claims to be “America’s first Black Lives Matter organizer elected to public office” is accused of spending $26,000 of public funds for unauthorized expenses, primarily for international travel.
South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau has come under fire this week residents and at least one city council member questioned items he allegedly bought with his city-issued purchase card, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Kamau, who boasts of being a “self-proclaimed Elected Activist” and BLM protester on the city’s website, identifies as a “socialist” who was proud to support legislation to “eliminate Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous People’s Day” and to “ban the box” asking city job applicants to disclose their criminal history.
When asked if the mayor had made unauthorized purchases, Councilwoman Helen Willis said, “It appears so. Within the last fourth quarter of 2024, it was approximately $26,000.”
One of the major purchases was a trip to Africa, she alleged.
“It’s a pretty large amount of unauthorized charges, mainly for international travel,” Willis told the Atlanta outlet.
Kamau, who was elected in 2017 and goes by “Mayor Kobi” on Instagram for unclear reasons, documented a 20-day trip to Ghana in December on the platform, one disgruntled resident told WSB-TV.
One video shared by the mayor on December 22 shows him dancing with a couple of smiling ladies at a popular beach club in the West African nation’s capital of Accra:
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“I wanted to find out if taxpayers paid for this trip,” the resident, Reshard Snellings, told the station. “We should not be asked to go without something so that our elected officials can travel all over the globe.”
When asked if the city of South Fulton was conducting any business in Africa, Councilwoman Willis said no.
“Not to my knowledge, that isn’t even a priority,” she told the outlet. “We need more economic development here and we don’t need to go to Africa in order for the city to have a multi-business deal.”
On top of multiple flight purchases totaling more than $5,000, there was also a $1,300 purchase for a drone and multiple expensive Amazon orders, according to WSB-TV.
Councilman Jaceey Sebastian, mayor pro tem, said that Kamau needs to provide an explanation.
“There are some things that I see in the public that need some explanation,” he said to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Councilwoman Linda Pritchett concurred, saying, “I would like to see the mayor have the opportunity to address the issue transparently.”
While international travel is not prohibited for the mayor, using the city card for personal items and services is.
The city council ultimately voted to suspend international travel for 30 to 45 days while that statute is reviewed, the local Fox affiliate reported.
Kamau has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the accusations are politically motivated.
“It’s really a smear campaign. You will see in the meetings, the people who are talking the most are running for mayor in 2025,” the mayor said to WSB-TV.
Kamau was arrested at a complete stranger’s home and charged with trespassing and burglary in 2023, after allegedly bypassing a “No Trespassing” sign on a property in the neighboring town of Fairburn and entering a lake house without permission, 11Alive reported.
The homeowner held Kamau at gunpoint and called the police. When officers arrived, the mayor claimed he was taking his dog to a nearby park when he saw his “dream home” and knowingly trespassed because he wanted to buy it.
He was later released on an $11,000 bond.
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