The Tourism Regulatory Authority has registered 8,000 AirBnBs across the country in a bid to weed out unscrupulous short-term rental operators.
The move comes after the state agency intensified a crackdown on unregistered Air BnBs across the country following a spate of irregular activities reported from the establishments.
TRA Director General (DG) Nobert Talam said the exercise, which started six months ago, targets to create a database of all short-term rentals in the country to ensure that they comply with the set regulations.
This, he said, targets to ensure the safety of tourists and visitors who use the facilities dotted across the country and, at the same time, improve the country’s ratings in hospitality.
“We are not here to kill the industry. What we are telling the operators is that they need to be registered so that we visit the facilities and ensure they meet the required standards,” he said.
He added that the agency has written to Airbnb to issue a list of all short-term vacation rentals in Kenya which are under the platform to ensure that they are registered with TRA.
He said the authority was working closely with the short-term rental associations across the country to ensure that all the facilities are registered and accredited.
Talam said the registration exercise has been simplified on the TRA website and called on all the operators to take advantage and register.
Speaking in Kisumu during the accreditation awards ceremony for various hotels in Nyanza and the Western region, Talam cautioned those operating Airbnbs without a license, saying TRA would go all out to ensure they faced the full arm of the law.
Referring to a recent incident along Thika Road where a woman was butchered inside an Airbnb, Talam said the operator and landlord have been taken to court.
“We are telling landlords to be vigilant and know what tenants are doing in their houses. If you rent a house and the tenant converts it into an Airbnb without your knowledge, just know that if something bad happens and they are not registered with us, we shall also come for you,” he said.
Various hotels were awarded gold, silver, and bronze in an exercise that targeted facilities in 10 counties of Nyanza and the Western region.
14 facilities from the 10 counties were awarded gold, 32 silver, and 57 bronze in an exercise that will pave the way for the star rating of the facilities.
“Over 400 facilities in this region have been accredited over the last four months. We have conducted a similar exercise in the Mt. Kenya region, South Rift, and North Rift. We are also going to carry out the accreditation in Nairobi and Coast regions in the next two months,” he said.
The accreditation, he said, was a mark of quality and would help the facilities to market their services in and outside the country.
“When tourists come to the country, they look out for facilities that are accredited. We have partnered with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to market these facilities so that they attract business. For those that scored 45% and below, we are going to work closely with them so that they improve,” he said.
To improve the standards of hotels and accommodation facilities, Talam said TRA was assisting investors to get tax exemptions on hotel equipment and facilities.
The agency has also developed sector workforce regulations, which are before the attorney general’s office, he added.
Talam said the regulations would see all hotel managers licensed, and at the same time, other sector workers would undergo capacity-building and refresher courses to ensure they offer cutting-edge services to visitors.
By Chris Mahandara
