SHAKIRAH KADHANAH: When beauty becomes a passport for Uganda’s tourism story

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that Okoobah Shakirah Kadhanah, a young Ugandan tourism ambassador and Miss Tourism East Africa contestant, has been using public appearances to promote Uganda’s tourism story. The article highlights her September 8, 2026 meeting in Kampala with Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Ababu Namwamba, describing it as part of her broader effort to link pageantry, diplomacy and destination marketing ahead of the Miss Tourism East Africa 2026 grand finale scheduled for September 12 in Kampala.

According to the publisher, Kadhanah comes from Busoga, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Makerere University, and has interests in tourism, entrepreneurship, writing and charity. The piece presents her as someone who wants to position tourism as more than leisure, framing it as an economic activity that supports jobs, small businesses, transport, hospitality and cultural industries. It also says she hopes to use the pageant platform to showcase Uganda’s people, landscapes, heritage and opportunities, rather than focusing only on beauty.

The report places her role in a wider East African context, noting that Uganda and Kenya are connected through trade, travel, culture and Lake Victoria, and suggesting that regional tourism can be marketed as an interconnected experience rather than as rival destinations. It also emphasizes the role of government, media, hotels, tour operators and digital creators in promoting tourism. More broadly, this reflects a growing trend in tourism marketing across Africa, where social media and personal storytelling are increasingly important tools for attracting visitors.