Revellers at the Miss East Africa beauty pageant at Submarine Club, Dhow Palace Hotel, Dubai, last Sunday turned violent in protest of the winner. Haider Luwaga, the Ugandan organiser, survived being stabbed by a Nigerian who demanded to know why his favourite contestant had not won. The Nigerian was held at Murragabat Police Station where Luwaga also made a statement.

Eva Kisakye, 25, a Ugandan, was crowned the first Miss East Africa Dubai. One of the crowd favourites, Claire Angella Uwibambe, from Rwanda, who had won the preliminaries and semi-finals, boycotted the finals alleging that Kisakye had been pre-ordained to win. Uwibambe threatened to sue Luwaga. “He kept postponing the finals and now he gives the prize to someone with whom he has an agreement,” she said.

Fans of Madinah Akello, a Kenyan, claimed she had always come second in the preliminaries and since Uwibambe had backed out, Akello was supposed to win.

Luwaga said the finals had been postponed to acquire prizes for the winners. The motorcycle, LCD TV and laptop for the runners-up were given to the judges as other winners refused to take them in protest.