Winner of Ms President reality show to be announced next week

The winner of Ms President reality show, which has been airing on KTN since January, will be known next Wednesday.

The contestants had their last chance to woo viewers last Wednesday during a one-of-a-kind presidential debate.

There was no sisterly love, as the five finalists displayed charisma, wit and eloquence. 

The five — Waruguru Kiai, Renee Irene Mayaka, Betty Adera, Nereah Amondi Oketch and Umulkheir Mohammed displayed confidence and uniqueness in the manner they tackled questions.

They debated in real-time, guided by moderators Sharon Momanyi and Michael Gitonga, who were assisted by Grace Kuria, all from KTN.

The five represent Nyeri, Nyamira, Nairobi, Homa Bay and Garissa counties respectively.

“Ms President has completely changed me. Now people call me to grace their events and I have had to own up to the title,” said Ms Mohammed.

“The pressure pushed us to the limit, but it helped. I am different, thanks to the knowledge I have acquired,” said Ms Mayaka.

Ms President started with a call to Kenyan women to service, make a difference and be trailblazers.

More than 1,000 women heeded the call, showing the depth of opportunity that public service has in Kenya. However, no presidential campaign can have more than 1,000 contenders, so applications were sifted through, reducing the number to just over 70.

The 71 women went to the Academy to immerse themselves in a transformational approach to leadership, one that did not simply consider typical politics, but tackled social and economic issues facing the nation.

Week after week, the contestants went through training that challenged them; tasks that tested them, presentations that stretched them and bitter sweet eliminations that reduced them in number —  from the 71 to top 40, then down to top 16.

The dynamics changed too, from group assignments to eventually standing solely on their own merits in each assignment and presentation, until the last five remained standing.

During the last Wednesday's show there was no room for assignments and crowds to impress. They had to go beyond impressing the judges. They needed to influence the audience enough to vote for them and convince them that they had what it takes to get the highest seat of leadership on the land.

The contestants went head to head, answering questions on topical issues such as leadership, cultural diversity, involvement of women in violent extremism, labour rights, food security, technology and health.

National attire

“As a president, to promote and ensure Kenyans are united, I would make sure we have national attire,” Mayaka said on the cultural diversity topic.

“I have heard that Kenyans just want to be in one Kenya, but they also want a Kenya that ensures there is fair and equitable distribution of resources. I look forward to launching the Employment Agency this year to make sure every Kenyan youth gets their fair share of employment,” Oketch said.

Waruguru urged Kenyans not to use ethnicity to make it harder for others to thrive.

Each contestant had at most two minutes to respond to queries and at least 30 seconds to respond to a follow-up question from the judges or audience.