The Nairobi City County Government has launched an aggressive crackdown on billboard companies with unpaid revenue arrears and unapproved outdoor advertising structures, in a renewed push to restore order and boost county revenue collection.
Chief Officer for Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo Akivaga said the operation, ordered by County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning Patrick Mbodo, is targeting key areas including James Gichuru Road, Olenguruone Road, and Kingara Road.
According to Analo, several outdoor advertising firms owe the county over Ksh500 million; funds collected from private clients but never remitted to the county as advertising fees.
“Some of these companies have not only failed to remit what is owed but have also erected illegal billboards and cut down trees in the process,” Analo said.
He confirmed that the enforcement teams will continue pulling down illegal billboards and unapproved outdoor structures until full compliance is achieved.
“The enforcement teams will continue the operation until full compliance is achieved,” he stated, adding that defaulters will face prosecution in accordance with county laws.
The crackdown is part of City Hall’s broader urban management strategy to reclaim lost revenue and restore order in Nairobi’s rapidly expanding commercial corridors.
County Rolls Out Regularisation Drive for Unapproved Developments
In addition to the crackdown, the Department of Planning has rolled out a citywide regularisation exercise for the thousands of unauthorized developments. This is anchored in the Nairobi City County Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Act, 2025, inviting developers, property owners and investors to seek approvals for previously unlicensed projects.
Analo said the exercise aims to bring unapproved structures into the legal framework, provided they meet minimum safety and planning standards.
“To ensure transparency, the county government will publish notices of unauthorized developments in at least two national newspapers,” he said.
The regularisation process will cover a wide range of developments, including land subdivisions, extensions, and change-of-use projects as well as billboards, wall wraps, LED screens, and even informal settlements on private land.
Tackling Longstanding Land Disputes
The initiative will also lead to the resolution of land ownership and planning disputes that have hindered orderly development in several city neighbourhoods. The most affected areas include Ruai, Kasarani, Mwiki, Roysambu, and parts of Embakasi, which have been experiencing conflicts involving land-buying companies, squatters, and government allocations for many years.
Projects that fail to meet the county’s regularisation or safety requirements will face firm enforcement under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019.
Unregulated advertising has remained a persistent challenge for Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration. Earlier this year, City Hall carried out multiple enforcement drives, including a January operation that cleared unauthorised signage within the Central Business District (CBD).
