A billboard collapsed on Ngong Road in Nairobi on Sunday morning, damaging a taxi and injuring its passenger. The incident caused minor traffic disruptions, with some individuals attempting to salvage metal parts. County officials have responded to address the situation.
A startling incident occurred on the morning of Sunday, January 25, 2026, when a billboard collapsed in the middle of Ngong Road in Nairobi, opposite Prestige Plaza. Preliminary reports indicate the structure fell under its own weight, landing on a taxi carrying a driver and one passenger. The passenger sustained serious injuries, while the taxi was severely damaged.
Photos obtained show the billboard fallen on its side, blocking one lane of the two-way road and causing minor traffic disruptions. The incident was first highlighted by Geoffrey Mosiria, Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement in Nairobi, who noted that several youths were seen trying to steal metal components from the wreckage.
According to the county official, the collapse happened around 3 a.m., rendering the section of Ngong Road near Prestige Plaza temporarily impassable. Motorists were advised to use alternative routes as emergency teams cleared the metal debris from the roadway.
The exact cause remains unclear, though speculation points to structural failure, with metal weakening over time from constant vibrations and stress. Such billboard accidents on busy roads are not uncommon. In November 2024, passengers in a public service vehicle narrowly escaped death when a billboard toppled onto their bus on Thika Road.
That event occurred near the entrance to Thika Town, with the billboard falling onto the highway after its foundations loosened on the roadside. Regrettably, some billboards across the city have been erected unlawfully, prompting Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to announce in November 2026 a crackdown by the Urban Development and Planning Department.
The county has since removed several billboards along Langata Road, Mombasa Road, and Nyayo Stadium Roundabout.
