Lang’ata MP Jalang’o now wants all Airbnb owners to be vetted
By Nyaboga KiageLang’ata Member of parliament Phelix Odiwuor alias Jalang’o now wants all Airbnb owners to be vetted following a series of murders taking place in short-term rented apartments.
Jalang’o who is serving his first term in parliament says that everyone who owns an Airbnb should be vetted.
Speaking to members of the fourth estate on Monday, January 15, 2023, the political leader insisted that all Airbnb businesses should be registered.
“I am also in the business, in fact I have so many and that is one of my biggest businesses. The best thing we can do is to ensure that all the Airbnbs that are operational across the country are registered,” he said.
He added that some people owned such businesses that were not registered, which is dangerous.
The Lang’ata MP further said that he would table a motion in Parliament to regulate Airbnb operations in the country.
Jalang’o spoke just a day after the body of an unidentified woman was found cut into pieces and the main suspect is a man who had booked an apartment within Thika Road Mall (TRM) in Nairobi County.
The suspect who is at large, allegedly committed the crime and left the house unnoticed until the caretaker saw traces of thick blood leading to the doorstep of the apartment.
Mark Auma, the caretaker of the house, made the grim discovery when he found blood in the house.
Subsequently, the management was notified, and a police report filed at Kasarani police station outlined the gruesome details.
According to a police report, an unknown middle-aged man had checked into the rental located in Roysambu.
Concerns arose when the caretaker and management found no trace of the guests upon inspection, only to follow a trail of blood leading to the dustbin collection point.
Shockingly, the remains of the victim were discovered in polythene bags disposed of in the apartment’s dustbin.
“The caretaker then asked one of the managers to confirm if the guest had checked out only to find nobody and the house was clean. They then followed the blood stain traces which led them to the dustbin collection point where they discovered remains of a person which prompted her to call the police,” the report stated.
Upon arrival at the crime scene, police officers determined that the suspect, who is currently at large, brutally murdered the unidentified woman, dismembered her body, and disposed of the pieces in the apartment’s trash bin.