I took part in the first beauty pageant

Lameck Ogwal, my husband, then my fiancé, used to tease me that he was going to marry the most beautiful girl in Uganda.

I would laugh it off saying, “You cannot say I am the most beautiful girl in Uganda unless you weigh my beauty and that of other girls on a machine.”
But one day, he brought me the Argus newspaper that had an advertisement of the Brooke Bond Tea beauty queen pageant. Participants had to apply and be subjected to oral interviews.

Ogwal told me this would be the ideal weighing machine for my beauty and encouraged me to take part in it. I had just completed my bachelor’s degree in Commerce at the East African University, Nairobi, in 1969. I was 23-years-old. I applied and was selected among the participants.

The preparations
The day before crowning the winner, the other girls and I were booked into Apollo Milton Hotel, now Sheraton Kampala Hotel so that we could prepare adequately for the following day.

We were also taken to shop for different items including clothes that we were going to use during the final event. On D-day, we were once again briefed on what to do once we got in front of the judges. There was nothing really spectacular about the indoor event.
Unlike nowadays, we did not have makeup, changing outfits and catwalk on stage.

Ours was a very simple affair where we were required to perform one particular task.
Each girl was required to show how to prepare and present it in a friendly manner to the panel of judges. I do not remember how many participants we were exactly.

I was mechanical during my presentation. I simply brewed and served the tea without indulging into many details of its importance and why and where it is served.

Unlike me, one of my colleagues from Fort Portal did very well. She was gentle, friendly, smiley and very warm during her session. She talked and explained thoroughly about making tea, its importance and why it is served. That was where she beat me.

It was therefore, not surprising when she was crowned winner a title that came with a package of activities to promote tea. The first and second runners up did not however, win anything besides the prestigious titles.

The media gets it wrong
Being the first beauty pageant in the country, the local media was very excited. They reported a lot about the event. Despite this, I never followed anything from any media house. I only started getting shocked when most people starting calling me Miss Uganda.

I became a little confused. Later, I discovered that the media had actually branded me the winner of the event and blindsided the girl from Fort Portal.

To date, I have failed to understand why the media did that. Was it because of my confidence, loud and clear voice? As much as the contest focused on marketing tea, there was the aspect of beauty.

So, I wondered at times if this was what was considered. I do not know. What I know is that I was continuously branded Miss Uganda and everyone almost completely forgot about the actual winner.

I felt flattered by the title and Ogwal’s ego was boosted because his words had come to pass that he had married the most beautiful girl in Uganda.

I was never Miss Uganda but Ugandans have refused to accept this story to date. People actually still tease me about ‘my tenure’. At Parliament, there are colleagues who continuously call me Miss Uganda.

Anyway, because we did not have another themed beauty pageant for years, the two girls and I did not hand over to anyone. We retained our titles and sashes. How I wish to meet any of the two girls to reminisce on our Brooke Bond Tea beauty pageant. We would have interesting memories to relive.

Cecilia fact file
Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal, commonly known as Cecilia Ogwal, is a politician, businesswoman and management consultant. She is currently the Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament. She has been a member of Uganda’s legislature, since 1996. She was born in Dokolo District, Northern Uganda, on June 12, 1946. She attended local schools in Uganda. In 1967, at the age of 21, she was admitted to the University of East Africa in Nairobi, (present day University of Nairobi), to study Bachelor of Commerce. She graduated in 1970. She also holds the Certificate in Human Resources Management from the Institute of Public Administration, now known as Uganda Management Institute. She holds two other certificates; one in Christian-Based Values from the Haggai Institute, Singapore, and the other in Public Private Partnership from Australia. She is a married mother of seven children.

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