She was a native of Kenya. In 2000, she came to the United States illegally and in 2002 sought political asylum in the United States citing violence. Kenya and East Africa saw a rise in violence in the 2000s. Her case was denied in 2004 but she remained in South Boston, Massachusetts, before she got legal representation. Her case was leaked in the final days of the 2008 U.S. presidential election in which Obama was the Democratic candidate. She was given asylum in 2010.