The Miss Curvy Uganda beauty contest will go on as planned.
This after Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga okayed the contest launched earlier this month by junior tourism minister Godfrey Kiwanda.
However, Kiwanda and the organisers received a lot of backlash and condemnation from women activists and some high-level offices in government.
This forced Parliament to task him explain why he came up with such an idea which was humiliating women.
He, however, made it clear that the organizers just called him to offer support and information about the pageant.
On Wednesday, dozens of curvaceous women – who claimed to be participants- and those organers stormed Parliament to present their petition to Kadaga.
The petition reads; “Miss Curvy Uganda pageant should be looked at like any other beauty pageant. We are not only focusing on the size alone but also the brains. The emphasis is that the contest needs to pick an intelligent plus size, Ugandan ambassador.”
Organiser Ann Mungooma told Kadaga that their aim is to recognise the bold and beautiful plus size ladies.
“This event is meant to lay a platform for the plus size ladies. We here also to inspire and impart confidence in plus sized ladies,” she said.
Having presented their request, Kadaga gave them a go forward saying that all people should be given a chance to express themselves and participate in any activity in the country.
“I would condemn strongly any discrimination against these ladies in the society. It is important for Parliament to promote equality and not to discriminate any individual, agency or department in Government. I don’t see any problem with Miss Curvy Beauty Pageant,” she said.
After their petition, the Speaker briefed the House about her decision of allowing the contests to go ahead.
The Women Member of Parliament Mitooma, Jovah Kamateeka objected her decision saying that pageants are not competitions for mothers but young ladies
“Madam Speaker the women we saw are mothers yet all the contests we see participants are young ladies who are still at school like our own Abenakyo. These are old women and if we allow this our culture is fading up slowly,” said Kamateeka.
However, the House did not agree with her and the Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze said; “In Uganda women or girls face the same problems and there is zero effort to recognize them. Do you want to say that women who have given birth like you or me are not beautiful?” Nambooze asked Kamateeka and wondered if the Mitooma Woman representative wanted to doubt the powers of the Speaker who had sanctioned the project.
Kadaga then cautioned Kamateeka that everyone has a right to do what pleases them if at it is constitutionally correct.
“This is a matter of human right let people do what they want,” said Kadaga.
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