Winfred Adah Omwakwe

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Winfred Adah Omwakwe became the first woman from Kenya to hold a major international beauty pageant title when she formally succeeded Džejla Glavović of Bosnia & Herzegovina as Miss Earth on August 7, 2003 (for the 2002 edition). Glavović was dethroned on May 28, 2003 for "being unable to fulfill her duties and responsibilities."[1][2]

As the first runner-up of Miss Earth 2002, Omwakwe previously held the title Miss Earth-Air.

"Winnie", as she is more popularly called, graduated from the Institute of Health Care Management in Kenya, where she received a physiotherapy certificate. She comes from Nairobi and stands 5'9" (175 cm).[3][4]

"Winnie" was also a finalist of Miss Universe Kenya 2001 but was unable to capture the title. She later won Miss Tourism Kenya and flew to Manilla to represent her country at the 2nd Edition of Miss Earth.[5][6][7][8]


[edit] Other relevant information

The following are some interesting facts about Omwakwe[9]:

  • Omwakwe belongs to the Luhya tribe which is one of the biggest among Kenya’s 42 tribes.
  • Her reaction to being the new Miss Earth: "I was stunned and couldn’t believe it. But then I saw the congratulatory messages in my e-mail and I received calls from all over. That’s when I was convinced it wasn’t a hoax."
  • After the Miss Earth pageant last year, Omwakwe went to Canada to take a vacation and to look for a school where she can take up a nursing course. In Kenya, she studied Physiotherapy.
  • She’s an orphan. Her father died when she was 10, followed by her mother two years later. It was her older brother and older sister who have been acting as her surrogate parents.
  • Omwakwe, 21, qualified as her country’s representative to the Miss Earth contest after she finished as one of the winners in the 2002 Miss Tourism World Kenya pageant. It was the first beauty contest she ever joined.


Preceded by
Džejla Glavović
(dethroned)
Miss Earth
2002
Succeeded by
Dania Prince


[edit] References