Thirty-nine outdoor advertising firms in Nairobi will incur huge losses if they fail to clear Sh114.4 million rates arrears owed to the county.
And from now on, they must pay upfront for billboards.
The county government yesterday gave the companies seven days to clear the arrears. Secretary Robert Ayisi said the billboards, wall wraps, skysigns and lamp-post ads will be pulled down if the debt is not settled.
“Lamp posts owe Sh69.5 million, while billboards owe Sh44.8 million,” he said.
“Failure to pay within the period will compel the county to commence enforcement action and start billing the clients directly.”
Magnet Venture has the highest debt at Sh20.9 million. Tangerine Investment owes Sh16.5 million, while Magnate Ventures Limited owes Sh11.2 million.
Others with big debts are Alumumin Ads at Sh9.7 million, Horizon Media has Sh5.2 million, Firmbridge Ltd owes Sh4.4 million. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation is yet to clear Sh1.8 million.
City Hall demands Sh4.2 million from Adsite Ltd, Sh4.6 million from IQ Marketing, Sh1.4 million from Speliman and Walker and Sh1.4 million from Kremm Investments.
The county charges Sh58,000-144,000, depending on the size of the billboard.
Revenue Enhancement Task Force chairman John Ntoiti said City Hall has started to collect arrears for land rates, rent and outdoor advertisement. He said removing the structures will ensure the advertisers pay promptly, as it will be expensive to remount them.
“The county has been removing billboards, but outdoor advertising companies return them without paying the debts,” Ntoiti said.
In September, City Hall pulled down billboards and ads on streetlight poles in Westlands, Central Business District and at the Machakos country bus station.
