Rwandan beauty queen Divine Muheto arrested for alleged drunken driving and violation of rights

Rwandan beauty queen Divine Muheto, who won the Miss Rwanda 2022 title, has been arrested for drink driving and driving without a license.

According to police, Ms Muheto damaged public infrastructure before fleeing the scene. Authorities have not released whether there are any injuries, but say this is not the first case of drunken driving.

Speculation surrounding her detention swirled for days before police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday. Ms Muheto is due to appear in court in Kigali on Thursday, according to a prosecutor’s spokesman.

Ms Muheto rose to national prominence after winning the Miss Rwanda 2022 pageant. The government has suspended the annual beauty pageant over accusations of sexual harassment by its organizers.

In Rwanda, drunk driving is punishable by a fine of 150,000 Rwandan francs (US$110) and five days in police custody. Law enforcement officials report that strict enforcement of traffic laws has led to a significant reduction in fatal crashes, and thousands have faced arrest for drunk driving in recent years.

Melissa Enoch