- The Miss MKU crown was won by Merly Sheila Awuor, a Business Management student.
- Students showcased different talents, including rap battles, dead weight lifting and dancing competitions.
Image: John Kamau
Congolese Jaebet Mukela Twite is the first foreign student at Mount Kenya University to win the coveted Mr MKU crown.
The Business Management student was crowned during the competitions held at the university's main campus in Thika.
“The feeling was unexplainable after being crowned. I couldn't hold my tears,” Jae, as he is popularly known, said in an interview.
The first runner-up went to Tony Blair Onyango while Nixon Masinza settled for second runner-up.
Pomp and pageantry marked the activities held to celebrate MKU’s fifth cultural week held in all the institution’s campuses.
The event has been running in the university for the last five years and the climax is always the beauty pageant.
The Miss MKU crown was won by Merly Sheila Awuor, a Business Management student.
Aiyan Abdi emerged the first runner-up, with Mary Mwangi from Journalism and Mass Communication department taking second runner-up position.
“The contest was very competitive, well organised, with the exception of the rains. It was also free and fair. All through the training session, I maintained a positive and winning attitude,” Awuor said.
Awuor has won other crowns such as Miss Utawala and Miss Untamed Kenya.
“Winning Miss MKU was the most fulfilling experience of my entire career in modelling. Up till now I have not recovered from the joy of this victory,” she said.
This year’s culture week was a long-awaited event by MKU students, especially those who joined the university in 2020 and 2021, as they have never experienced one.
“The winner of Mr MKU is a student from Congo. The results show that there is equal participation by all students without any preference,” Waweru said.
The different categories being contested for Mr and Miss MKU were: Miss MKU plus size, Mr MKU and Ms MKU special needs and Mr MKU flex. All campuses had the same contests being done concurrently.
Students showcased different talents, including rap battles, dead weight lifting and dancing competitions.
Others included spoken word, playing of different musical instruments and cultural dances and presentations by different communities, including by international students.
It was a welcome break to the student fraternity after a period of two years without such events due to Covid-19 related challenges.
Waweru said MKU is committed to supporting, developing and nurturing talents among the students through weekly entertainment.
“The university has a vibrant office of Film, Creative and Performing Arts which is tasked with ensuring talents in all arts are supported," Waweru said.
"The university has realised that students have abundant talents that ought to be exploited."
He hailed the institution’s management for the support they give to their students during such activities.
In Eldoret Campus, Brian Kimutai was declared Mr MKU while Kong'a Agak scooped the Miss MKU.
Bradocks Onesmus emerged the Nairobi campus Mr MKU with Lisa Wanjiku taking the honour of winning Miss MKU.
In the MKU Parklands Law Campus, Newton Kiragu became the new Mr MKU while the Miss MKU title went to Judy Chemitei.
(edited by Amol Awuor)