You’re so graceful, so calm, so well-spoken…is there any point where you are a crazy person?
I have always been calm. Even in school, I was a monitor. I love responsibility. It kept me grounded. And growing up in an extended family…there was no space to misbehave.
Is it true you grew up in Mayuge?
No, I grew up in Mulago, actually.
But your parents are from Mayuge…
My dad is from Mayuge, my mum is from Fort Portal. I grew up in Mulago and later shifted to Namuwongo.
And where did you go for school?
For my primary I went to Kitante PS and later went to Wobulenzi Parents School, where I sat for my P7. I later joined St Joseph’s Girls School Nsambya and later went to Merryland High School, Entebbe.
In school, were you the artsy one, the funny one, or the quiet one seated in the corner?
I should say the quiet one seated in the corner. I was very shy, very reserved.
Do you have lots of siblings?
I have a brother and a sister. I am the middle child.
Was your mum very strict?
Yes, she was very tough and strict. Looking back at who I am today, it makes sense. My dad too was strict.
[Quiin talks about school, her love for Telemundo, and her fear of stages, despite representing Uganda at Miss World.]
When you won, I saw Quiin…I thought that was very unique. Where did that name come from?
I had a cousin called Queen. So, my grandmother thought it wise for me to be called Queen Elizabeth. I started out with a double E…Abenakyo Queen Elizabeth. In about P3 I thought, are people going to make fun of me all my life? I decided no. [She stopped using Elizabeth and replaced the double E with a double I].
So, you were famous in school?
Yes, I was, because of my name. But also every week I would receive about six letters from girls in lower classes asking to be my friend. It was nice.
The power of a name…!
Yes. Being Quiin and then Abenakyo. Abenakyo means ‘have it all’. I mean, favour, grace, beauty, purpose… Even being Miss World – Africa, I sat down and thought, I must be really favoured.
Have you seen the girls who compete for Miss World or even Miss Uganda? I remember seeing the girls in Miss Uganda and calling my mum to say “I don’t think I will make it; these girls are so beautiful!” But I had it in me to use the platform to come out of my shell…
After Merryland High School what happened?
I joined Makerere University Business School. I did a Bachelor’s degree in Business Computing and after my third year, the Miss Uganda auditions were happening. So, it was fate.
Had you thought about it before?
I had seen Stella Nantumbwe and Sylvia Namutebi… I thought it was all about modelling.
While at university your parents give you upkeep, but it is never enough. You need a side hustle. So I ushered at events and that helped me a lot with confidence, getting to talk to people, how to deal with celebrities who did not treat ushers nicely.
Not most of the celebrities understand that some of the girls they treat [with such disrespect] are people who looked up to them. I told myself, if I ever become a celebrity, I will be nicer. [She says the celebrities that treated her shabbily as an usher later came to her as Miss World Africa and now wanted to associate with her. “I turned them down politely”.]
How did you overcome the stage fear though?
It was either that, or suffer for the rest of my life! I contested with the Eastern region and I remember one girl telling me, “I think you are lost, you should be in Central.” I said, no I am a Musoga.
She said I did not look like Basoga and I asked her, so, how do Basoga look like! [She shares the long journey to being crowned Miss Uganda, her role model – her mum – and the cutthroat competition that saw many eliminations along the way.]
What was your strength in the competition?
The business part…my group was the best. But sports? Not so good. I got a star for cheering people on, though [laughs heartily].
Were you ever nervous about the beach part?
Yes! I am not your typical model figure. I am tall and not so skinny. I was the last to get a swimsuit, because everything they brought did not fit. Was I so fat? That is one of the days I cried in the competition.
[She talks beautifully about her relationship with Miss World, Vanessa Ponce (Mexico) and what it meant for her being Miss World, Africa.
“Vanessa was so confident, she kept telling me, ‘Quiin, we will tour the world together’. And see!’” She talks about Miss Panama being the most beautiful contestant, and Miss Uganda CEO Brenda Nanyonjo being the lone person on her team at Miss World: “She would wait for everyone to keep quiet and then she would go, ‘Ugandaaaaa!’ And when they called up family and the license holders, she just couldn’t stop screaming”.]
You are passionate about teenage pregnancy. And recently you launched your own foundation. Congratulations!
Thank you.
You had some serious guests there! The president was there, your patron is the Speaker of Parliament…
Yes. When I got back it was challenging and expectations were higher than before.
What has been the biggest challenge?
Media. The stories. The graduation saga…[a university student challenged the beauty queen’s preferential treatment at graduation, since she had a pending retake in Financial Management] why would you want to tarnish someone’s name even after MUBS clarified?
Are you dating now? [For her entire reign she was romantically linked to Busoga king, William Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV]
No, I am not. I am focusing on what I need to do, and now my baby, the Quiin Abenakyo Foundation is here. It is for the girl child and teenage pregnancy. Where I come from in Mayuge, in exchange for things as small as a Geisha bar of soap or a chapatti, a girl gets pregnant.
There are people in Kampala with 14-year-old maids…! Take her to school, instead of scolding her for not feeding your baby, not washing your clothes.
We are going to have a ‘Keep Me In School’ campaign, starting with Mayuge…Tuli bubi!
Edited from Crystal 1 on 1
