The Nairobi county government on Tuesday pulled down advertising billboards that were purported to have been illegally erected on street lighting masts across the city without the approval of the relevant county department.
City Hall management has further vowed to take necessary legal action against any advertising agency that has been running the illegal businesses.
KPLC staff and their counterparts from the Nairobi City County yesterday embarked on a day-long mission to pull down all illegal adverts from the roadside power masts.
The team moved from one light mast to another along the busy Langata Road removing all that the adverts that according to them, had been unlawfully put up.
City Hall stated that the advertisers have been denying them revenue by their illegal billboards, as well as posing traffic risks in some instances.
Kenya Power and Lighting Company which is contracted to offer the street lighting services in the county says illegal advertising has adversely affected electricity supply since most of the advertising agencies tap electric power from cables in the street lights without consulting them, something that inteferes with electricity supply and even maintenance of the street lights.
Every month, Nairobi county government spends approximately Sh25 million in payment of electricity bills for the street lights.