The holotype was collected in 1985 in Kwale County, Kenya.

The eponym for the species name "trujilloi" is Robert Trujillo.

Trujillo's work on the molecular systematics of Scotophilus bats "paved the way" for the description of this species and three others.

[2] Trujillo's house bat is endemic to Kenya, where it is found in the Coast Province.

Its range includes at least one protected area, the Shimba Hills National Reserve.