Ugandans to part with Shs 500 to vote for Miss Uganda

Ugandans will have to part with Shs 500 to vote for this year's Miss Uganda.

According to the new development, one will be required to install the Miss Uganda mobile application on their gadget before voting for their favourite contestant. The user will then be requested to pay Shs 500 before their vote is confirmed.

The Miss Uganda Foundation that hosts the pageant confirmed the new development.

This has however generated public debate with many arguing that this is similar to them self sponsoring the Miss Uganda pageantry.

Others have expressed concerns saying that this is similar to buying votes where the contestant with more money will win.

But speaking to Nile Post in a phone interview, Miss Uganda CEO Brenda Nanyonjo said that world over, the public pays a small fee to vote in such pageants and there is nothing wrong with it.

"Each year or each time the public is introduced to something they are not used to, they will discuss and critic it. Some will say its not right but there is nothing wrong it," she said.

"The world over, most countries have more than one voting platforms and some of them if it's local you have to pay a small fee. I will give an example of Miss World, we had about three voting platforms. The Chinese as the host country had their own app where we were allowed to vote only once per day and I think the locals in China had to pay something. We had the Mobstar app and then the global app."

The Miss Uganda boss who is currently in Ghana also told Nile Post that each year, they try to improve the Miss Uganda franchise and this on many occasions, attracts public criticism until they understand why they introduce such things.

"People will get used to it with time. This is a new thing and each year, we think of ways we can better the brand Miss Uganda and take it to international standards just like other pageants,"

Last year, The Miss Uganda franchise received a backlash over a viral video where one of the Miss Uganda representatives, Nana Kagga seemingly bullied a contestant; Namutebi Jane over her pronunciation of the word 'Makerere'.

Now Brenda cited this as an example, saying that at the end, the section of the public that had misunderstood them finally appreciated them for bringing out the best out of the contestants.

She said: "Just like last year where we showed you what happens behind the scenes and some people took the video out of context and made it to be about English which wasn't the case. In the case, they saw the result and that is when they realised what we were doing. Even this, once they see what the app is really is going to be about then they will understand why."

"The small fee of Shs 500 is there so I don't think people should rush to criticise us. We are not going to pull it down or change it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Some of them are making the comments because they need to understand why, some are just commenting for the sake. Let them give it a day or two for them to see how the app is engaging and building each individual contestant," Nanyonjo said.

22 contestants were confirmed and unveiled to be vying for this year's Miss Uganda crown.

The grand finale will be hosted at Sheraton Hotel on July 26th, 2019 in an event will be attended by the reigning Miss World, Vanessa Ponce.