Why Governor Nyong'o Wants President Ruto to Regulate Airbnb Business in Kenya

Kisumu governor Anyang' Nyong'o has petitioned President William Ruto to control the emergence of low-cost, short-stay accommodation businesses in Kenya.

Commonly known as Airbnbs, the businesses have emerged to replace the traditional hotel entreprises, with customers preferring the former due to its affordability.

The model is normally a rented house furnished with all the necessities, with one paying for their stay only, with the option of making their own food of their choice.

Nyong'o says the airbnbs have become a breeding ground for femicide cases.

Speaking at the funeral of former Karachuonyo MP Phoebe Asiyo, the county boss argued that killers are leveraging the low prices of the accommodation spaces to perpetrate their ill motives against women.

He asked the president to regulate the business across the country, noting that it had become a menace in Kisumu County.

"There is something happening in Kenya that is extremely dangerous, which I'm sure Phoebe Asiyo would have stood up against and campaigned to do something about by the government. This is called femicide. If you have been reading the papers or listening to the radio or watching television, femicide is increasing in Kenya at a geometric progression, and we have a theory in Kisumu County that the increase in femicide is closely associated with the increase of airbnbs. I don't know whether you know that. So Mr. President, let us have strict control of the opening the airbnbs to be strongly controlled and accounted for. Because otherwise this femicide will continue under the guise of people going to airbnbs. I'm sorry, I might be very strong about this, but in Kisumu we have noticed this phenomenon. And I hope it is not as serious elsewhere as it is in Kisumu," Nyong'o said.

Femicide has been a crisis in Kenya in the recent past, with a report in July indicating that at least 129 women were killed in the first three months of 2025.

Reports from the National Police Service (NPS) and National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) data showed that 43 women were murdered in January, 42 in February, and 44 in March.

The Rift Valley, Eastern, and Western regions registered the highest number of deaths. Men were responsible for 85% of the killings, women for 10%, and in half of the cases, the murders were linked to domestic matters. Most victims knew their attackers.

In January, President Ruto constituted a 42-member task force to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) including rising cases of femicide.

The team would be chaired by former deputy chief justice Nancy Barasa.