Divine Muheto has finally received a brand-new car in a hand-over ceremony held Thursday, July 14, at Hyundai Rwanda headquarters.
The car was part of major prizes that the beauty queen won upon being crowned Miss Rwanda 2022 in March.
Muheto was expecting to take the car home the night she was announced as the crown winner. However, the car was not available at the venue as opposed to previous editions.
Car sponsor, Hyundai Rwanda, at the time clarified that the car would be handed over a few days after the grand finale.
Delivering the car was, however, delayed for months following a sexual harassment scandal that rocked the competition and resulted in the arrest of pageant organiser Dieudonné ‘Prince Kid’ Ishimwe.
After receiving the car, Muheto thanked the car company for keeping the promise after delivering the car as the car sponsor for every Miss Rwanda crown winner over the past three years.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Hyundai Rwanda. Sending my warm thanks and appreciation. I'm grateful. When Hyundai Rwanda says "you want it, we have it” just believe it because they do. Thank you Miss Rwanda [pageant organisers] for this platform.,” the beauty queen posted on her Instagram account.
Besides the car, Miss Rwanda 2022 is entitled to receive a monthly facilitation of Rwf800,000 during her reign from Miss Rwanda organisation among many other additional prizes from organisers’ partners.
She is also supposed to be getting financial support from Africa Improved Foods (AIF) Rwanda for her ‘beauty with a purpose’ project.
The New Times understands that some companies however, haven’t honored the promise to hand over the prizes not only to crown winner Muheto but also other finalists as agreed with pageant organisers.
A number of Miss Rwanda 2022 finalists have been in a dilemma over whether they will get their prizes, with, as things stand now, not any of them has received a prize from any company as expected.
In an interview with The New Times, Muheto hopes more prizes will be given to her, just like other finalists, as soon as possible.
"All I know is that they are working on it,” she said.
Muheto, a high school graduate, was crowned Miss Rwanda 2022, a crown that she received from her predecessor Grace Ingabire during a grand finale held in March at Intare Conference Arena.