Miss Uganda Foundation has issued a statement defending its judges after an uproar on social media over their behaviour and the way they treat contestants.
A video from the beauty pageant audition surfaced online where one of the judges was seen bullying a contestant because of her accent.
In a statement, the foundation's CEO Brenda Nanyonjo says "all competitors in Miss Uganda knew that they will be judged on their appearance (looks, speech, poise, general knowledge etc)".
Nanyonjo adds that the beauty pageant is moving forward to create social media and TV content "similar to competitions such as The Voice, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent".
During the launch of this year's Miss Uganda competitions, organisers promised a "fresh new start to bring more public engagement and insight to the pageant".
"This concept may be new to Uganda but we ensure that empowering young women and beauty with a purpose has always been the fundamental cause of the pageant," part of the statement reads.
Full statement:
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