By Antynet Ford
Two apartments where two women recently were murdered in Roysambu and South B Nairobi are not registered Airbnb as revealed by American American-based Company yesterday.
Airbnb expressed shock over the events as they emphasized that the incidents are not related to accommodations booked through their platform.
In their statement, they stated that the locations where the heinous acts were committed had no bookings on their platforms and the persons of interest did not have registered accounts either.
“Over the past week, Kenya has witnessed two heinous crimes in the city of Nairobi. We are saddened and shocked to learn of these events, and our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones during this difficult time. We can confirm that neither of these events was connected to stays on Airbnb. We do not have accounts registered to the names of the accused.” Their statement read in part.
According to the Company Airbnb is now a noun and a verb, and for many, a term used to describe an entire industry as reported in the country over the past week.
They added that as a business they have built on trust, safety issues on Airbnb are incredibly rare as they implement measures to maintain safety.
Airbnb operates an online marketplace for short- and long-term homestays and experiences.
The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking.
In the first incident at an apartment in South B where socialite Starlet Wahu Mwangi was found murdered on January 4.
Police reports indicated that the deceased, 26, arrived at an apartment in South B, a day prior in the company of a man, identified as 34-year-old John Matara.
Video surveillance from the apartment captured Wahu and Matara entering an elevator within the apartment block before disembarking on the fourth floor and proceeding to their room, which they had reportedly rented for a night.