American company Airbnb has distanced itself from two recent murder incidents reported at short-story residential areas in Nairobi, as the probe into the cold blood killing of the victims gathers pace.
In a statement posted on the Airbnb website, the company asserted that the properties in which the two women were killed did not have reservations booked on Airbnb for the dates reported.
"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 were connected to stays on Airbnb," Airbnb stated.
The San Francisco-based booking firm also clarified that the company does not have accounts registered under the names of the accused persons.
The company, however, pledged to support local authorities with investigations into the incidents.
The statement comes days after widespread media reports linking Airbnb to the apartments where the two victims were found murdered.
In the first incident, the lifeless body of Starlet Wahu was found in room Y32 of the Papino apartment.
CCTV footage captured the last moments of the 24-year-old and the main suspect in her murder 30-year-old John Matara on the night of January 3.
A thorough inspection of the bedroom where the two were led to the identification of circumstantial evidence including an HIV test kit with negative results.
Used condoms, victim's clothes, alcohol and a knife believed to be the murder weapons were also recovered.
A postmortem was conducted on the body of the deceased on Friday, January 5 at the city mortuary under the watch of Dr Peter Ndegwa.
The autopsy examination confirmed that Wahu, a sister to controversial preacher Victor Kanyari, died due to a haemorrhage injury (bleeding from a damaged blood vessel) caused by a penetrating stab wound on the main blood vessel on the right thigh. The deceased also had signs of strangulation.
Matara was traced to a city hospital where he was receiving treatment for a stab wound. He is currently in custody awaiting prosecution.
In the second incident, the dismembered body of another 20-year-old woman was discovered at a short-stay residence in Roysambu.
The body was found dumped in a trash bag by the caretaker who in turn alerted the owner of the building.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the woman was killed by a man she met on Instagram.
Police have so far arrested three suspects in connection to the Roysambu incident. One of the suspects, a foreign national with a Mozambican passport, was arrested on Tuesday evening while attempting to flee the country through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
