Miss Curvy Uganda Pageant Scheduled for April 26

Uganda’s controversial Miss Curvy Pageant is scheduled to take place on April 26 at the Hotel Africana. While the launch of the event was previously billed as an initiative that could boost the country’s tourism industry, Minister for Tourism Godfrey Kiwanda has since responded to critics by denying that was his intention.

The initiative has sparked a strong reaction from female activists, however, who have criticised the move that could be seen to objectify women. In response to calls for the scheme to be scratched Kiwanda has since claimed he has no power, stating "These are private initiatives. Tourism is everybody's business. You are allowed to bring in your ideas and we give you support. There is no way we are parading women as tourism attraction. But then, it's very difficult to talk about a country's tourism without talking about its people.”