Violet Kemunto, the lady being pursued by the police over DusitD2 terror attack, had a difficult upbringing given the strained relationship between her mother Margaret and late father Zablon Kirioba.
And during her teen, her mother separated with Mr Kirioba, who drove a tourist van before marrying a Muslim man who has since died. Mr Kirioba died in 2015.
“The dad’s drinking was pretty bad and their life didn’t go well with Margaret. He was also always traveling and she didn’t like that lifestyle,” said a relative.
Kemunto, believed to be in her late 20s, is the third born in the family and has three sisters and a brother who lives in the US.
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.
Another relative said the family hardly visited Kisii and the last time they were seen was during Kirioba’s burial.
“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.
The last time Kemunto visited their home in Nyamache was in 2015 during her father's funeral and would later lose touch in 2016. She's is said to have secured a job in Nairobi afterwards.
But according to one of her sisters, she would disappear from limelight before resurfacing in 2018 when marrying Ali Gichunge, the man believed to be the mastermind of DusitD2 terror attack.
The mother has since been questioned by the police. Some reoorts indicate that she may have met Kemunto days to the attack at Ruai.