Nairobi, Jan. 26 -- The Tourism Fund is set to expand the 2.0 percent tourism levy to operators of short-term rentals sold through digital hospitality platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Jumia in a bid to grow and modernise tourism revenue collection by taxing bookings at source.

The Tourism Fund (TF) says the shift, slated to start by the end of June, will bring online accommodation providers into the formal levy system, addressing enforcement gaps created by the rapid growth of short-term rentals and digital booking platforms.

Latest official figures from the State Department for Tourism show the Fund collected Sh5.1 billion from the levy in the year ended June 2025, falling short of Sh5.5 billion target.

This was, however, a g...