The government of Nairobi County has launched a new crackdown on unauthorized billboards and visual pollution, issuing an ultimatum to advertising companies to take them down or face fines.
Chief Officer for Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo said the operation will focus on congested highways that have become overwhelmed with signs, including Mombasa Road, Ngong Road, Waiyaki Way, and James Gichuru Road.
The majority of these billboards were erected illegally. We are asking advertising companies to remove them voluntarily, or else the county will come in, impound them, and impose removal fines,” Analo said.
The operation is part of Governor Johnson Sakaja’s wider plan of cleaning up and beautifying the capital, hardly weeks after he survived an impeachment attempt.
Alongside the billboard crackdown, the county is also upgrading Nairobi’s street lighting. New poles have already been installed along Lower Hill Road, Ngong Road, Enterprise Road, Arboretum Drive, and in parts of Kilimani, Westlands, the CBD, and Buruburu.
However, officials have raised concerns about rogue operators interfering with the upgrades. Some advertisers have reportedly tampered with power lines while mounting pole-based billboards, disrupting lighting systems in key areas.
The billboard purge comes barely two days after the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) also announced plans to clear illegal signboards and installations along the Eastern Bypass, saying they spoil the city’s look and put road users at risk.
Governor Sakaja has also been vocal about cleaning up Nairobi’s waste problem. He recently warned that the county would deregister private garbage collection firms caught dumping waste illegally.
We know that some operators are paid to dispose of waste responsibly but end up dumping it in unauthorized locations. This will not be tolerated,” said Sakaja, adding that the county will expand waste management facilities and hire more young people to keep the city clean.
