Nairobi County Cracks Down on Illegal Billboards and Bans Business Tents in CBD - September 2025

Nairobi County has launched a renewed crackdown on illegal billboards and visual clutter, targeting major roads including Mombasa Road, Ngong Road, and Waiyaki Way. Advertising firms have been urged to voluntarily remove non-compliant structures or face forced removal and penalties. Separately, Governor Johnson Sakaja explained that the ban on business tents in the Central Business District is a direct response to rising chaos and aims to improve the area's aesthetic. The move is intended to prevent the capital from resembling an open-air market. These administrative actions occur as a recent poll on the 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial race shows Embakasi East MP Babu Owino as the frontrunner, indicating he is currently more popular than the incumbent Governor Sakaja, particularly among the youth.