Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios jets into Kenya for historic crowning

Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios. (Courtesy)

The reigning Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios, is set to arrive in Kenya tomorrow, 15 August 2024, ahead of the Miss Universe Kenya 2024 grand finals in Nairobi.

Her plane is scheduled to touch down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 8:30 PM.

This marks the first time in the history of beauty pageantry that a reigning Miss Universe will visit the country. It is also the first time a Miss Universe Kenya will be crowned by the reigning queen.

Palacios’ visit is highly anticipated as both a boost for the beauty pageantry industry in the country and for tourism. Palacios, a beauty queen from Nicaragua, is thrilled about the visit.

The 23-year-old, who was also a Miss World 2021 Top 40 semi-finalist, will be the guest of honour during the Miss Universe Kenya grand ceremony, which will be held at Argyle Grand Hotel on Mombasa Road on Friday, 16 August 2024.

The event will see the crowning of the Miss Universe Kenya 2024 beauty queen, who will subsequently represent Kenya in the Miss Universe finals in Mexico this November.

In a recorded video shared by the Miss Universe Kenya team last week, Palacios—who is also the first Nicaraguan to win Miss Universe—announced her upcoming visit to Kenya for the Miss Universe Kenya finals. She expressed her excitement about visiting Kenya and Africa for the first time.

During her formative years, Palacios, a problem-solver by nature, put herself through a communications programme at her university by working in her mother’s snack business.

When the business faltered due to an economic crisis, her mother migrated north to find a better job, leaving Palacios as the economic and emotional support for her grandmother and younger brother.

During her reign, Palacios has championed mental health, a cause close to her heart due to her own experiences with anxiety.

Coming from Nicaragua, where mental health is rarely addressed, she started an accessible initiative called “Understand Your Mind,” in which she interviews specialists on emotional care in her television segments.

She has also produced events and other audiovisual projects on this theme. Her goal in life is to work in the service of humanity, by running a newsroom and producing content and commercials for international brands.

This will be the second time a high-profile reigning beauty queen has visited Kenya on a mission, following Miss World Alexandria Mills’ visit in 2011. During her visit, Mills toured Nyeri County as part of an anti-jigger campaign, which was part of the 'Beauty with a Purpose' project championed by the then reigning Miss World Kenya, Natasha Metto.

The four-day tour of Kenya, which included an entourage led by Julia Morley, Chairperson of the Miss World Organisation, Emma Wareus—Miss World Africa—and Adriana Vasini, the second runner-up, resulted in Sh1 million being presented to Metto for her incredible work on the anti-jigger campaign.

In addition to crowning the new Miss Universe Kenya, Palacios and her entourage will have a busy but exciting schedule during their visit to Kenya. On Saturday, she will visit the Maasai Mara, where the spectacular annual wildebeest migration is currently taking place.

The Maasai Mara ecosystem is classified among the 'Seven Wonders of the World’ due to the phenomenal great migration, where over one million wildebeest and more than a hundred thousand zebras cross the Mara River from the Serengeti to the Maasai Mara in search of water and greener pastures—a spectacle Palacios has already expressed excitement about experiencing.

The good news of her visit comes as training at the Miss Universe boot camp concludes, with preliminary judging now focusing on the 15 finalists from whom the winner of Miss Universe Kenya 2024 will be chosen.

The recent developments around this internationally renowned pageant have brought a fresh breath of life to the pageantry industry in Kenya, which has long been treated as a sideshow in the creative industry ecosystem.

For the first time, Miss Universe Kenya 2024 is receiving major support from the United States, with a team in Los Angeles set to ensure that the Kenyan finals will be streamed live.

Kenya and South Africa are the African countries currently on the Miss Universe radar, a positive development in a year when the pageant has asserted its desire to witness true ‘Africanacity’ showcased during the grand ceremony in Mexico at the finals.

Unlike previous years, this year’s crown comes with enviable rewards. The winner of Miss Universe Kenya will walk away with a cash prize of Sh1 million upon crowning. She will also receive a furnished apartment, a fully functional office, and a team to support her charitable cause. Additionally, she will enjoy AllBlack Beauty make-up services.

The pageant is supported by the Ababu Namwamba Foundation, Mozzart, Talanta Hela, Bonfire Adventures, Sarova Hotels, Narok County, and others, with a dedicated team providing the models with professional runway training, interview preparation, and etiquette training.

The pageant has produced some of the top models in the country, with several crown holders coming close to winning the international title. Roshanara Ebrahim was crowned Miss Universe Kenya 2021, having previously won Miss World Kenya 2016 but withdrew from the Miss World competition that year.

Stacy Michuki represented Kenya at Miss Universe 2019, with Wabaiya Kariuki carrying the crown in 2018. Mary Esther achieved a Top 6 finish in the 2016 global finals.