Nairobi County has begun an extensive enforcement campaign targeting outdoor advertising firms with massive outstanding debts and unapproved billboards.
The county says the firms owe more than Sh500 million in unpaid advertising fees, even though most had already received payments from private clients.
The ongoing operation is part of a broader effort to bring order to the capital’s built environment and improve revenue collection.
Chief Officer for Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo Akivaga said enforcement teams have been deployed to various parts of the city, including James Gichuru Road, Olenguruone Road, and Kingara Road.
He explained that the directive came from the County Executive Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning.
“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,” he said. Analo added that the county will continue to dismantle unauthorized structures until every company complies.
City Hall has warned that all illegal billboards will be pulled down and defaulters prosecuted.
The move marks a tougher stance by the county government, which has been struggling to recover revenue lost through unregulated advertising and non-compliance.
The county’s goal, according to Analo, is to ensure a cleaner, safer, and well-regulated city.
Alongside the advertising crackdown, the county has launched a new program to bring thousands of unapproved developments into compliance with planning laws.
The initiative, backed by the Nairobi City County Regularization of Unauthorized Development Act, 2025, calls on developers, investors, and property owners to submit their projects for approval.
Analo said the exercise aims to help legitimate property owners legalize structures that meet safety and planning standards.
“To ensure transparency, the county government will publish notices of unauthorized developments in at least two national newspapers. The regularization covers subdivisions, change of use, extensions, architectural plans, structural works, billboards, LEDs, wall wraps, and informal settlements on private land,” he explained.
The county is also focusing on long-standing land and development disputes that have delayed growth in several neighborhoods.
Affected areas include Ruai, Kasarani, Mwiki, Roysambu, and Embakasi, where land ownership conflicts involving private developers, squatters, and government allocations remain unresolved.
Officials have warned that any projects failing to comply with the new regularization process will face enforcement under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019.
The county maintains that it will not tolerate illegal construction or non-payment of county fees as it works to create a more orderly urban landscape.
