From Loving Too Much Meat to Being Discrete: The Life And Times of Violet Kemunto, Killer Salim’s Wife

Image result for Violet Kemunto Omwoyo

Once the picture of one of the attackers at the Dusit D2 hotel, Salim Ali Gichunge went viral, his neighbours immediately identified him positively and alerted the police who swiftly moved in to his area of residence. He lived in house number E9 with a woman we identified as Violet Kemunto Omwoyo who was arrested by Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) officers on Tuesday night, as an operation to neutralise the terrorists was ongoing at dusitD2.

The couple was secretive and rarely interacted with neighbours. Up to Wednesday morning, Salim and Violet had never commented on the estate’s Whatsapp group since the time they were added in October last year.

Image result for Violet Kemunto Omwoyo

Rent at the estate ranges between Sh30,000 and Sh40,000 a month for a four bed-roomed house. The two had however not paid rent for the past two months. The landlady reportedly told security guards not to allow them to remove their household goods until all arrears had been paid.

The couple loved beef. No single day passed without Salim buying either a kilo or half a kilo of meat at ACCT butchery at the entrance of Guango estate from Banana Road.“We only interacted with him as customers. He was always with a light-skinned girl,” Chege Kariuki, a butcher at ACCT said yesterday.

On Monday morning, just a day before the attack, Violet — through a pseudo name on Facebook known as Junior Red — put up a post selling their household property.

Image result for Violet Kemunto Omwoyo

“We are moving out of Nairobi this week so it is a quick sale. Prices slightly negotiable,” she posted.Going through the items they wanted to sell, we now know that they were living large.

Part of the property for sale were Phat Farm loafers which go for Sh4,000, a 49-inch smart TV, a seven-seater velvet sofa set, a rice cooker and Ramtons two-door fridge which they were disposing of for Sh30,000.

Interestingly, Salim was outspoken and had made some friends in the estate while Violet was reserved. She wore a hijab which concealed her identity. The only clue we have from people who had interacted with her is that she is light skinned.Her profile picture on Whatsapp is that of a woman’s face covered by a black hijab and a red and black bandana.

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