Nairobi to install CCTV cameras inside bedrooms of short stay rentals

A security camera. (Courtesy)

Anyone planning to start short-stay rental services (popularly referred to as Airbnb) owing to the business model pioneer company, in Nairobi will soon be forced to undergo thorough vetting and meet certain requirements before getting approval.

The requirements include the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras that will capture those entering the premises in case of any ugly incident.

This comes following a motion that has now been approved by the Nairobi County Assembly seeking to tame rising cases of murder mostly targeting young women in some private buildings housing the rentals.

The motion was tabled by nominated MCA Perpetua Mponjiwa who noted that the killings were tarnishing the name of the housing services which hosts visitors on a short term basis.

 Mponjiwa said the lack of crucial features in such facilities makes it easy for the culprits to get away with murder thus the need to up security around the facilities.

 “I am concerned that Airbnb properties which were originally designed for family vacations and accommodation similar to hotels are being exploited for criminal activities and parties, amongst other vices,” she said.

The MCA said that failure to regulate the business was putting the lives of young women, especially college and university students, at risk.

During the debate, Kitisuru MCA Alvin Olando said coming up with such regulations should ensure that the CCTV’s are not installed in the bedrooms to avoid breach of privacy.

 “I support this motion but they should ensure that the CCTV is not put inside the bedroom,” Olando observed.

If the county implements the motion, Nairobi will be joining Kisumu County in regularising the sector.

Early this year, Kisumu regularised the operation of the short stay rentals by ensuring that operators are given a one-year license by the county government which is renewable based on inspection by the county management.

Lily Kidenda, another member, said hotels in this country have regulations that afford very serious protection to visitors.

“The CCTVs are put in public areas, so when you enter a house, you are captured specifically as having gone in and having left. It will help our law enforcement team to know those who have gone inside and those who have come out. I am present to the fact that CCTV in bedrooms is a no-go,”

Sometime this year, a gruesome murder of a young woman in Nairobi’s TRM area in Kasarani left the country in shock, raising a trail of questions touching on the safety of private apartments.

The remains of the 24-year-old woman were found stashed in a polythene bag in a dumpster at an apartment that houses short-term guests.

Detectives probing the gruesome murder said preliminary findings reveal the culprit took time to butcher the young woman.

A sharp object was used to slice the body into pieces. The deceased’s head was reportedly missing.

Police said the CCTV footage in the apartment captured the suspect. He was wearing black jeans, black jumper, navy blue shirt, spectacles and a white cap.

Around the same time another woman, Scarlet Wahu was reportedly found murdered in another rental unit in South B on January 3.

Wahu was captured on CCTV in the company of John Matatara who was arrested and treated as a key suspect. The case is ongoing.