The cold-blooded murder of university student Rita Waeni has prompted the authorities to publish a list of conditions that Airbnb must fulfil before, during and after registration.
It is now mandatory to instal CCTV in all the buildings and the proprietors must keep copies of the identities of their customers.
Every building must also have a security guard whose responsibility will not only be to deter and report criminal activity, but also keep a record of the clients booked into the units and their personal details.
The registration, with the Tourism Regulatory Authority, of short-term rentals takes effect immediately. But starting Monday, February 5, government officers will start a series of random inspections to ensure the tough new rules take effect.
The shocking murder of Waeni must serve as a wake-up call to the authorities that mobile phone sim registration remains a major loophole and weakness that must be sealed.
The crazed killer of Waeni used a phone registered in the name of a woman to hide his identity. Short-term rentals must not only take down the phone numbers, they must confirm that the number is registered in the name of the customer.
Mobile phone companies must clean the system and create a foolproof system of registration that criminals cannot abuse.
We hope that the renewed attempt to enforce the law will not fizzle out as soon as the gruesome murder starts to fade in our national consciousness.
Quote of the Day: “The only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you’ll finish it.”
Langston Hughes
The American poet and activist was born on February 1, 1901
