LED technology puts Nairobi at the cutting edge of technology to rival cities across the globe

By Dan Muhuni

Two weeks ago Kenya entered into the global tech savvy advertising methods via the deployment of the latest state of the art LED advertising signage on top of Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC).  The glass display, which was wrapped around the 26th floor of the 28-storey building, had been displaying the Samsung brand for over a week with a glow that redefined the city’s skyline at night.

This technology puts Nairobi at the cutting edge of technology to rival other cities across the globe who has implemented it. Time Square in New York, is dotted with LED advertising almost on every building. Eiffel Towers in Paris, the equivalent of KICC in Nairobi had a Citroen advert for close nine years.

 

The display of the Controversial Samsung Ad

But this technology was only short lived since the management of Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) ordered to have it pulled down before being stopped by the courts. The decision by the High Court to stop Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) from removing advertising signs at the top of it was a milestone since it paved way for the KICC management and Alliance media who through competitive bidding were given the tender to erect the Ad.
Am shocked to learn that Alliance Media, a South Africa-based advertising firm with a presence in 23 African countries including Kenya was contracted by KICC to undertake the project and that the stoppage of the billboards was in breach of a 2012 contract that allowed it to run the adverts for three years.

The management of KICC may have been cowed into bringing the Samsung advert down and instead replacing it with a Kenya @50 advert for rest of the year, but this sets a very bad precedent for innovative investors in the country. 

NYC_-_Times_Square

KICC management lead by the Acting KICC managing director Fred Simiyu is giving in to cheap politics by telling Alliance media to bring down the LED ad. Mr Simiyu was last week quoted in one of the local dailies that the review of the advert was prompted by the public’s outcry, with some people saying that it was dishonouring the building.
This is one of the most flimsy excuses on earth that an MD can give because he is not sincere of the people who are putting on pressure for him to bring down this great innovation that has arrived in Kenya for the 1^st time.

KICC at Night

Simiyu should know that one of the Jubilee government promises was to go digital its evident that he is still sleeping on the job and we saw him succumb to cheap politics that were paved into this great innovation.

Last week we saw Lady Justice Pauline Nyamweya give the orders to restrain KICC from bringing down the Ad following a petition by the Alliance Media, which has accused KICC management of threatening to pull down their large advertising billboards at the neck of the KICC tower block.

THE TRUTH IS KICC allowed Alliance Media to erect a helipad sign on the building and they had never defaulted in payment of the rent, according to the company’s business development manager John Wambua Muswa.

“We have been making payments of Sh1,350,000 as quarterly rents as agreed in the contract . We were astonished when they informed us that our signs posed a threat to stability of the building,” added Mr Muswa.