A taxi passenger was rushed to hospital in the early hours of Sunday after a giant billboard collapsed onto a taxi car along Ngong Road, causing injuries and disrupting traffic.
The incident occurred at around 3:00 am on Sunday, January 25, opposite Prestige Plaza, when the billboard reportedly gave way under its own weight and fell onto a taxi carrying both a driver and a passenger.
According to preliminary reports, the passenger sustained serious injuries, while the taxi was completely crushed and badly damaged by the falling metal structure.
The said billboard was seen lying across one side of the two-way road, temporarily blocking traffic and causing minor disruptions along the busy corridor.
The incident was first flagged by Nairobi Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement, Geoffrey Mosiria, who noted that shortly after the collapse, several youths attempted to steal metal parts from the fallen billboard before security officers intervened.
Mosiria confirmed that Ngong Road near Prestige Plaza was briefly rendered impassable, prompting authorities to advise motorists to use alternative routes as emergency response teams worked to clear the debris.
While the exact cause of the collapse has not yet been established, preliminary assessments point to possible structural failure, with experts noting that prolonged exposure to vibrations, weather conditions, and metal fatigue can weaken billboard structures over time.
The Ngong Road incident comes barely four months after a similar accident along Thika Super Highway, where motorists narrowly escaped death after a billboard collapsed onto a public service vehicle near the entrance to Thika Town in November 2024. In that incident, the billboard reportedly toppled after its base loosened from the roadside.
Concerns have continued to grow over the safety and legality of billboards erected along major roads in Nairobi. In November 2026, Governor Johnson Sakaja announced a crackdown on illegally installed billboards by the Urban Development and Planning Department.
Since then, the county government has pulled down several billboards along Lang’ata Road, Mombasa Road, and the Nyayo Stadium Roundabout as part of efforts to enhance public safety.
Investigations into the Ngong Road collapse are ongoing.