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She came; she competed and she conquered! This the story of Natasha Brenda who swept aside obsession with light skins, hair weaves and other physical beauty additives to clinch the coveted Miss Tourism Taita Taveta County competitions held last weekend at the Rosewood Hotel in Voi.
Being pitted against 13 other ladies did not deter Brenda's resolve to ride on the crest of the wave and emerge victorious thus being the face of the county during the forthcoming Miss Tourism Kenya competitions that are slated for late this month in Vihiga County.
And the shock on people's faces was palpable as the four-judge bench announced that she had proved beyond reasonable doubt that she has all it takes to not only represent the county but also bring the national crown back home as well as help improve the tourism sector.
In a county where most ladies are yellow yellow, it was widely expected that one of the light skins would carry the day – in fact the shock on a number of people's faces was clearly visible.
One reveller could be heard lamenting, "Nimevunjika moyo kutokana na haya matokeo." (I am heartbroken by the results).
The disappointment was however silently expressed judging by stares the winner got as she straddled out with the crown at the end of the function.
But who really is Natasha Brenda? Born 25 years ago, by a father from Vihiga and mother from the Rift Valley, Brenda attended Kapsimoto Preparatory School in Nandi County before joining St Cecilia Girl's School Nangina in Busia County.
"I then joined Mombasa Polytechnic (now Technical University of Mombasa) to study for a diploma in hotel management," says Brenda.
Brenda who currently works as a waitress at the Leisure Lodge in Diani, Kwale County says that she has had the hairless look since 2012 and she wants to follow in the footsteps of her role model Ajuma Nasenyana – a Kenyan model from Turkana County.
The win comes as a sweet victory on all fronts for Brenda; in 2014 she competed in the Miss Tourism Kwale County finals but never made it to the top three. She is also going back to her father's land Vihiga to compete in the finals. She says, "Being a go-getter, not winning the Kwale edition two years ago did not deter my resolve so when a friend invited me to audition for the Voi Sub-county pageant, I willingly attended."
For being the darkest girl in the whole team of finalists, Brenda says she was never intimidated and vowed to give her best just as she will to develop tourism in Taita Taveta County now that she has the crown. "I was not intimidated because I am African, black is beauty and black never cracks," says Brenda as she prepares to meet beauties from other counties and sweat it out for the national crown.
Top among Brenda's priorities is to improve the welfare of the girl child in Taita Taveta as well as promote tourism. Speaking during the event, Alexander Mwangeka, the county executive committee member reiterated the importance of marketing Taita Taveta as a tourist destination because of its strategic location in the coastal region.
Brenda says that she has taken the disappointment in some quarters positively and will not take it personally because she expected it all along.
She says, "Kenya is one and I will do my best for Taita Taveta where I lived part of life at one point in life."
