Organisers of Miss Rwanda have announced Jolly Mutesi, James Munyaneza and Evelyne Umurerwa as the provincial judges for Miss Rwanda 2022 auditions.

The auditions for this year’s beauty contest officially open on Saturday, January 29, beginning with the search of the contestant who will represent the Northern Province during a selection exercise scheduled to be held at La Palme Hotel in Musanze District.

After Musanze, the organising team of the pageant, the judges and the press will spend a night in Rubavu District before resuming the auditions on Sunday, January 30, at Gorilla Hotel, from which representatives of Western Province will be selected.

Over 400 aspirants have so far registered for this year’s edition but the number is likely to increase day after day given how much  young women have increasingly been showing interest in taking part in Miss Rwanda this time round.  

Meet the judges

Jolly Mutesi

Mutesi, who has Miss Rwanda 2016 crown to her name, is the brain behind Inter-Generation dialogues.

She was the first contestant to represent Rwanda in Miss World pageant and her experience in beauty pageants saw her appointed the Vice President of Miss East Africa beauty pageant whose first edition went to Rwanda after Shanita Umunyana became the first winner of the crown.

 Mutesi was voted as Best Female Celebrity influencer for 2019.

Mutesi first appeared in the Miss Rwanda panel of jury in 2019 and, since then, she has been a regular figure on the jury bench.

Evelyne Umurerwa

Umurerwa has for the past 20 years established herself as one of the best news anchors and TV ‘s presenters in Rwanda while serving as a news anchor at Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), precisely on Rwanda Television.

Umurerwa’s experience and excellence in broadcast journalism saw her win the 2018 Best Female Journalist of the Year Award.

She has featured on the panel of judges for different beauty contests both at national and university level.

James Munyaneza

Munyaneza is a media personality with experience in a career spanning 20 years in the industry.

Besides being the Managing Editor, he is an editor at The New Times, a journalism trainer, mentor and coach, and a guest journalism lecturer.

This is his fourth year appearing on the panel of judges in Miss Rwanda.

What do they have in common?

The three judges are not new in this pageant, having featured in the jury for over the past three to four years.

Munyaneza and Mutesi have particularly been regular figures in the jury for Miss Rwanda grand finale during the past three editions.

The duo was also part of the jury which is still remembered to have spent over an hour in the deliberation room before announcing Naomi Nishimwe as the crown winner for Miss Rwanda 2020.