Namiiro takes Miss Uganda UK crown
I believe I was given a second chance to be here and experience the triumph of this,†said a beaming 20-year-old Maria Namiiro, a student of air hostessing from Surrey, UK, soon after she was crowned Miss Uganda UK 2009, the first in five years, last Sa
By Sebidde Kiryowa
in London
I believe I was given a second chance to be here and experience the triumph of this,†said a beaming 20-year-old Maria Namiiro, a student of air hostessing from Surrey, UK, soon after she was crowned Miss Uganda UK 2009, the first in five years, last Saturday evening in London.
This was in apparent reference to a battle she could have easily lost to pneumonia 10 years ago when she was hospitalised with a collapsed lung after a severe attack.
“I didn’t expect to win… This means a lot to me,†she said in a subsequent interview. I can’t wait for tomorrow to tell everyone. I’ve made my family proud.â€
As Miss Uganda UK, Namiiro walked away with a year’s contract with Mahogany Models, whose worth we were not told. She also wins a trip to Kampala and automatic entry into the Miss Uganda pageant slated for September 22 at the Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala. She will also be the face of Brenda Maraka, the fashion label that dressed the girls that evening, for a year.
As she spoke, hundreds of Ugandans and friends of Uganda who had jam-packed The Troxy, the venue of the pageant, famous for hosting Miss England and other high profile events in the UK, screamed on top of their lungs.
It was apparent they approved of the judges’ decision that evening. It is just as well because the panel, which only included one Ugandan face, model Eva Mbabazi, had a cosmopolitan outlook of distinguished personalities like Sola Oyebade, the director, Mahogany Models – Europe’s largest modelling agency for models of colour and Monica Crenfell, associate editor, News of the World, the UK’s biggest selling tabloids, among others.
As a show of the audience’s approval, Namiiro was one of the two contestants (the other being voluptuous Gloria Nsubuga) out of the 15 contestants, who had been the crowd’s favourites from the get go. The girls were tested in four categories — traditional cultural/creative wear; creative group dance; swim wear and evening wear with an interview.
But even before the final results came in, Namiiro had already scooped two of the evening’s pre-result awards – Miss Traditional Wear and Miss Evening Wear. The others were Miss Bear Wear (Brandie Atrombo, 20), Miss Website (Remmie Bamweyana, 20), Miss Personality (Haula Nakakembo, 20) and Miss Committed (Lydia Okia, 22).
The evening was punctuated by performances from a myriad of UK-based Ugandan artistes, most notable of whom were Chizzo and Kucklee. The most stunning performances, however, were by African Cultural Development and Latitude Care Network Dancers, two traditional African ensembles.
Other singers included Caster P, Paddy Dee and Da Boyz, Mc Moseh, Fyonna, Kitten Eyes and Angel J.
Part of the proceeds from the show were donated to Latitude Care Network, a non-governmental organisation working to improve the lives of underprivileged children in northern Uganda.
The writer was flown to London courtesy of Brussels Airlines.
in London
I believe I was given a second chance to be here and experience the triumph of this,†said a beaming 20-year-old Maria Namiiro, a student of air hostessing from Surrey, UK, soon after she was crowned Miss Uganda UK 2009, the first in five years, last Saturday evening in London.
This was in apparent reference to a battle she could have easily lost to pneumonia 10 years ago when she was hospitalised with a collapsed lung after a severe attack.
“I didn’t expect to win… This means a lot to me,†she said in a subsequent interview. I can’t wait for tomorrow to tell everyone. I’ve made my family proud.â€
As Miss Uganda UK, Namiiro walked away with a year’s contract with Mahogany Models, whose worth we were not told. She also wins a trip to Kampala and automatic entry into the Miss Uganda pageant slated for September 22 at the Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala. She will also be the face of Brenda Maraka, the fashion label that dressed the girls that evening, for a year.
As she spoke, hundreds of Ugandans and friends of Uganda who had jam-packed The Troxy, the venue of the pageant, famous for hosting Miss England and other high profile events in the UK, screamed on top of their lungs.
It was apparent they approved of the judges’ decision that evening. It is just as well because the panel, which only included one Ugandan face, model Eva Mbabazi, had a cosmopolitan outlook of distinguished personalities like Sola Oyebade, the director, Mahogany Models – Europe’s largest modelling agency for models of colour and Monica Crenfell, associate editor, News of the World, the UK’s biggest selling tabloids, among others.
As a show of the audience’s approval, Namiiro was one of the two contestants (the other being voluptuous Gloria Nsubuga) out of the 15 contestants, who had been the crowd’s favourites from the get go. The girls were tested in four categories — traditional cultural/creative wear; creative group dance; swim wear and evening wear with an interview.
But even before the final results came in, Namiiro had already scooped two of the evening’s pre-result awards – Miss Traditional Wear and Miss Evening Wear. The others were Miss Bear Wear (Brandie Atrombo, 20), Miss Website (Remmie Bamweyana, 20), Miss Personality (Haula Nakakembo, 20) and Miss Committed (Lydia Okia, 22).
The evening was punctuated by performances from a myriad of UK-based Ugandan artistes, most notable of whom were Chizzo and Kucklee. The most stunning performances, however, were by African Cultural Development and Latitude Care Network Dancers, two traditional African ensembles.
Other singers included Caster P, Paddy Dee and Da Boyz, Mc Moseh, Fyonna, Kitten Eyes and Angel J.
Part of the proceeds from the show were donated to Latitude Care Network, a non-governmental organisation working to improve the lives of underprivileged children in northern Uganda.
The writer was flown to London courtesy of Brussels Airlines.