Laikipia District

Julie Njeru is from Laikipia District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya. She is the fourth Miss Universe Kenya.

Laikipia District was transferred to the East Africa Protectorate in 1902 and placed under the Naivasha Province of Kenya until 1921. In 1934, the Rift Valley Province absorbed the Naivasha Province and placed the district under the administration of the latter.

In 1963, the district became one of the 40 districts of Kenya. On March 4, 2013, Laikipia County was formed.

Rumuruti is the capital of Laikipia County. Joshua Wakahora Irungu served as the first governor of the country from 2013 to 2017.

On August 9, 2022, Irungu assumed office as the third governor of the county. On January 1, 2025, he turned 55.

Julie Njeru

Njeru was 19 years old when she became Miss Universe Kenya 2002. She is 5’8″ tall.

On May 29, 2002, Njeru represented Kenya at Miss Universe 2002. Hosted by Phil Simms, Daisy Fuentes and Brook Lee, the coronation ceremony was held at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico and broadcast by CBS.

It was the 51st edition of the international beauty pageant. Njeru competed against 74 other candidates and was unplaced.

It was Oksana Gennadyevna Fedorova, then 25, of Russia who was crowned Miss Universe 2002. Runner-up to the Russian titleholder was Yostin Lissette Pasek Patiño, then 23, of Panama.

Ling Zhuo, then 18, of China, Vanessa Carreira, then 22, of South Africa and Cynthia Cristina Lander Zamora, then 20, of Venezuela were the respective second, third and fourth runners-up. Aside from Carreira, no other candidate from Africa made it to the Top 10.