Miss World Kenya 2012, crowned

 

By Stevens Muendo  and Kevin Oguoko

The magnificently lit auditorium went dead silent. Five girls were on the podium waiting for the judges’ verdict.

The journey for the top ten Miss World Kenya contestants had come to the end and there before the crowd — which featured the reigning Miss World Ivian Sarcos and her counterparts from Europe and Caribbean — stood the final five from whom the winner had to be picked.

Majestically, Terry Mungai the Miss World, Kenya, franchise director and Ashley’s CEO strutted to the podium and after a minute of deafening dramatic suspense announced the winner.

 “The winner is….. Shamim Nabil,” she read out.

Amidst confusion, joy and disbelieve, the 20-year-old broke into tears as the auditorium joined in jubilation with scores screaming and applauding the new beauty queen.

Shamim, the Mombasa-born aviation student, waved at the star-studded crowd and looked up to heaven as if to thank her maker.

Her childhood dream had come true and with the crown came a cash reward of Sh1million among other enviable goodies.

As a queen on the throne, she glittered exalted as the magnificently dressed outgoing Miss World Kenya, Susan Anyango, and Miss World, Ivian Sarcos, joined to crown her the new Miss Kenya title.

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Earlier in the night, an emotional Shamim had shocked the crowd as she shared her dream of fighting drug trafficking and substance abuse in the country, a menace she warned could wipe an entire generation.

Not even Nelson Mandela’s nephew, Zwelivelile Mandlesizwe, who was part of the special Miss World delegation, could hide his emotions as the now new Miss World Kenya gave shocking statistics of substance abuse among the youth in the country.

Minutes before her crowning, Emma Zanelle and Rachel Mahinda had been crowned first and second runners up, respectively.

“I never thought I would win having been to probation during the boot camp training a couple of times. It is just unbelievable,” an overjoyed Shamim told The Standard moments after the crowing.

The gorgeous Shamim will represent Kenya during the Miss World Finals to be held in China later in the year.

“I was moved by the efforts the former Miss World Kenya Cecilia Mwangi has been making on her anti-jiggers campaign when I visited the country last year,” the Chairman of the Miss World Organisation Julia Morley told the guests.

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“Because of her hard work, she will have the privilege of addressing the 130 Miss World representatives during the Miss World ceremony this year,” she added to the joy of the crowd.

In her passionate speech, she alluded that it was unfair for contestants to be eliminated on the basis of their height noting that the old rule could be revised come next year.

The glitzy ceremony held at the Film Studios had been sponsored by East Africa Breweries brand, Snapp and transmitted live on KTN.

It was the first time in the history of Miss World beauty pageant, the most popular beauty pageant in the world, to have three top reigning crown holders assemble in one place for such a ceremony.

Led by the reigning Miss World, the high-power delegation arrived in the country on Wednesday for the highly publicised ceremony.

They visited Amboseli Serena and Maasai Mara National Park where they carried their Water for Life project. They are expected to leave the country today evening.

 It raises millions of pounds for charities around the globe under the banner of its Beauty with a Purpose program.