Violet Kemunto, the lady believed to have been a mastermind of DusitD2 terror attack last week, was born to a Christian family before converting to Islam later of, a family member has said.
Her mother Margaret, reports the Standard, separated with her husband, a tourist van driver due to his love for alcohol and long spells out of their home. The father, Mr Zablon Kirioba, would later die in 2015.
And after the unprecedented separation, Margaret, who had been blessed with four girls and a son, married a Muslim man in Nairobi and it's at this time that she changed religion with her children. The man has since died.
Following the conversion of religion, Violet joined Muslim Girls before proceeding to Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology to pursue journalism and PR in 2011.
The Standard has established that Kemunto’s family hails from Nyamache sub-county in Kisii County, but they hardly visit.
Relatives said that after the nasty breakup, Kemunto’s mother became estranged with her Kisii relatives, especially after she married the Muslim man, who is also now dead.
The relative said she last saw Kemunto in 2015 during the burial of her father.
“The family didn’t have much connection with people at home after they converted to Islam, but at least Kemunto and one of her sisters would try and reconnect,” she said.
According to the relative, Kemunto has said she doubted whether she would ever have children as she “would be running a lot of activities that would restrict her from having a family”.
Kemunto was a keen observer of her faith and would tell relatives that “there are a lot of gains in being a Muslim”.
The relative said that although laid back and an introvert, Kemunto loved the finer things of life and wanted to own a big house and luxury cars.
“She loved nice things and wanted glamour but was an introvert depending on the environment she was in,” said the relative.
And she is believed to have left the country to Somalia in 2016 after meeting Ali Salim Gichunge, his husband to be. The two are said to have undergone paramilitary training in Somalia for around one year.
Her neighbours say that she lived with Ali Gichunge at Ruaka estate since 2018. They are said to have planned to move to a new house in Ruai near where her mother lives.
Until now, police are yet to establish where Kemunto escaped to even as sleuths suspected that she may have rushed to Somalia through Mandera. Her luggage was seized following tips from courier service officers.