Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria now says that the government will soon launch a crackdown on individuals running short rental spaces but are not registered with Airbnb.
In a statement on Sunday, Kuria said the crackdown will include anyone else offering such service outside any licensed platforms.
“The government will crack down on people offering such services outside the Airbnb or other authorized and licensed platforms,” he said on X.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the state is very concerned about the rising crime and murder cases targeted at women in such rental spaces.
Kuria said the fact that most are referred to as AirBnB but rental transactions done outside of the platform has created a major security exposure.
The CS said such transactions have also made it difficult for the owners to have data on who their customers are.
“The government is very concerned about growing cases of crime and murders, mostly targeted at women in short-term rental spaces. Whereas most of these spaces are termed as Airbnb, they are not transacted through the Airbnb platform and thus there is no Know Your Customer (KYC) data collected, obviously a major security exposure,” Kuria said.
His remarks come a day after a countrywide peaceful march against Femicide was held in Kenya.
Women and men turned out in large numbers across major cities and towns protesting the recent murders involving young women in the country.
'Sisi ni watu sio wanyama', stop killing us, women were heard saying.
The most recent cases of femicide, such as the brutal murder of Starlet Wahu Mwangi, the dismemberment of Rita Waeni, and the tragic death of Malkia, have been of great concern to all.
Organisers of the countrywide march said their murders are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a broader issue that needs to be addressed.
Wahu and Waeni's bodies were found in houses that are rented out as Airbnbs.