Winfred Adah Omwakwe is a Kenyan model and beauty queen who was crowned

Miss Earth 2002 Miss Earth 2002, the 2nd edition of the Miss Earth pageant, was held at Folk Arts Theater in Pasay, Philippines on October 20, 2002. In its second year, 53 delegates participated, exceeding the number of contestants in Miss International 2002, ...

, becoming the first black woman and first

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n to hold the title. Omwakwe is also the first Kenyan woman to hold a major international beauty pageant title. She originally placed as the first runner-up at Miss Earth, but ascended to the throne when the original winner

Džejla Glavović Džejla Glavović ( bs-Cyrl, Џејла Главовић) is a Bosnian fashion model and beauty queen. She was crowned in the Philippines as the second Miss Earth representing her country Bosnia and Herzegovina and became the first Bosnian woma ...

was dethroned for failing to fulfill her duties. She has a master's degree in

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

from the International University of Monaco.

Early life

Omwakwe's dad died when she was 10, and her mother died when Omwakwe was 12. She is the youngest in a sibling of three. Her brother, the eldest, is a lawyer, who is in cargo handling. Her sister is also a lawyer. They acted as her surrogate parents after their parents died. Omwakwe is a member of the

Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people * Luhya language Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya. Dialects The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are ...

tribe. She graduated from the Institute of Health Care Management in Kenya, where she received a

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

certificate. She comes from

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

and stands . She was also a finalist in Miss Universe Kenya 2001, but was unable to capture the title. She later came in second in the Miss Tourism Kenya pageant and flew to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

to represent her country at the Miss Earth pageant.

Miss Earth 2002

Omwakwe, 21, became Kenya's representative to Miss Earth, after she finished as one of the winners in the 2002 Miss Tourism World Kenya pageant. She participated in the second edition of Miss Earth beauty pageant, which was held in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on 29 October 2002. Džejla Glavović of Bosnia-Herzegovina won the Miss Earth 2002 title and Omwakwe as the first runner-up. On 28 May 2003,

Carousel Productions Carousel Productions, Inc. is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Earth and Miss Philippines Earth beauty contest. The annual events are produced in partnership with ABS-CBN Corporation. The organization is based in the Philipp ...

, the organisation that produces Miss Earth beauty pageant, officially dethroned Glavović "due to her failure to comply with the stipulations in her contract." First runner-up Omwakwe took over the position of Miss Earth 2002. She was formally crowned as the new Miss Earth 2002 on 7 August 2003 at the Carousel Gardens in

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong ( fil, Lungsod ng Mandaluyong), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 425,758 people. Loca ...

, Philippines. She said of her appointment, "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."

Notes

References

External links

Video of Miss Earth 2002 crowningMiss Earth official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omwakwe, Winfred Adah Living people Miss Earth winners Kenyan female models Kenyan Luhya people People from Nairobi Kenyan beauty pageant winners Miss Earth 2002 contestants Year of birth missing (living people)