Miss Uganda Quiin Abenakyo has made history by becoming the first Ugandan beauty queen to reach Miss World top 30, guaranteeing her a place in the finals to be held on December 8, at Sanya in China.
After 2.2 billion views and 20 million votes by the public, in the finale of the Head to Head Challenge, a shortlist of 20 candidates took to the stage with 90 seconds to present to a panel of judges the work they are doing in their home countries, to support beauty with a purpose.
The Head to Head Challenge has continued to attract a huge audience online. Following each of the two presentations, the judges had to make a decision about which contestant would be guaranteed a place in the top 30 at the fi nals on the world’s biggest stage.
Abenakyo was paired with Argentina’s beauty queen and, according to Miss World sources, she got the victory after passionately speaking about her “Beauty with a Purpose” project in fighting teenage pregnancies, as one in four adolescent girls in Uganda aged 14 to 19 either has a child or is pregnant.
She said: “I am proud and humbled, having done this for my country. I believe all girls have dreams and goals to achieve.”
The 22-year-old completed her bachelor’s degree in business computing at Makerere University Business School this year, and was optimistic she would make history in the Miss World pageant.
She said in an earlier interview with New Vision: “I am optimistic I will bring the Miss World crown. By the time you go for Miss World to represent your country, you have to be at the same level as those other countries. You find yourself competing with girls that have been in the pageantry all their lives and they are welltrained in everything — perfect walk and attitude. So, as a Miss Uganda, you have to be trained to be at that level.”
Born to Alice Kyamulesire and Charles Sembera, Abenakyo has a passion for cooking and dreams of becoming a top chef and a businesswoman. Abenakyo’s proudest moment was when she participated in 2018 New York Fashion week.
Her favourite film is Coming to America and her favourite food is matooke and groundnut sauce. She also enjoys reading and travelling. The three judges included Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar (India), and former Miss World Meghan Young (Philippines, 2013) and Stephanie Del Valle (Puerto Rico, 2016). The judges selected each contestant based on their public speaking abilities and the passion about their project that embodies Beauty with a Purpose.
