13 things about Miss Universe 1999 Mpule Kwelagobe

Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe Gandhi is a Motswana political economist, global development practitioner, impact investor, social innovator, philanthropist and beauty queen. She represented Botswana in Miss World and Miss Universe.

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Gaborone, Botswana, Gandhi is fluent in Tswana and English. She and Abhijoy Gandhi have two sons and one daughter.

As a researcher, Mpule is interested in traditional knowledge systems and culture and how they inform endogenous development. She is an alumna of Lobatse Senior Secondary School in Lobatse, Botswana and Columbia University in New York City, New York, United States.

On November 14, 2025, Mpule turned 46. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. She won Miss Botswana 1997.
2. She was a Miss World 1997 candidate.
3. In 1999, she launched MPULE Foundation in Botswana.
4. She won Miss Universe Botswana 1999 and Miss Universe 1999.
5. In 2001, the Lions Club International awarded her the highest honor and she received the Jonathan Mann Human Health Rights Award from the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC).
6. In 2002, the government of Botswana awarded her a full scholarship to attend any university of her choice around the world.
7. In 2003, the World Economic Forum selected her as a Global Leader for Tomorrow.
8. In 2006, the World Economic Forum selected her as a Young Global Leader and she graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in international political economy.
9. In 2011, she founded the MPULE Institute for Endogenous Development in New York City.
10. In 2012, she founded the MPULE Institute for AI in New York City.
11. From 2014 to 2016, she was a member of the international advisory board of the Agriculture and Food Security Center of Columbia University’s The Earth Institute.
12. In 2015, she and Abhijoy got married.
13. From 2015 to 2019, she was an Africa police advisory board member of The ONE Campaign in South Africa and from 2015 to 2018, she was a member of the international board of directors of the AIMS – Next Einstein Initiative in Rwanda.

TIMELINE

Mpule is 5’10” tall. She is the first Miss Universe from Botswana.

1990s

• In August 1997, she won Miss Botswana 1997 while she was attending Lobatse Senior Secondary School.
• On November 22, 1997, she represented Botswana at Miss World 1997 and competed against 85 other candidates at the Plantation Club in Mahé, Seychelles. She was unplaced.
• On March 19, 1999, she competed against nine other Miss Universe Botswana 1999 finalists at the Grand Palm Hotel  Casino Resort in Gaborone and won the title.
• On May 26, 1999, she represented Botswana at Miss Universe 1999, competed against 83 other candidates at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago and won the title.
• On June 2, 1999, she attended the 18th Annual American Fashion Awards in New York City.

2000s

• From February 2000 to August 2010, she was a United Nations Population Fund goodwill ambassador.
• On May 12, 2000, she crowned her successor Miss Universe 2000 Lara Dutta at the Eleftheria Indoor Hall in Nicosia, Cyprus.
• On April 13, 2000, she and Earvin “Magic” Johnson attended the Secure The Future benefit at the Reign Restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, USA to raise money for children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa.

2010s

• On February 6, 2012, she attended the Second Stage Theatre’s 25th Annual All-Star Bowling Classic at Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge in New York City. 
• In September 2012, she founded the MPULE Institute for AI.
• On April 17, 2013, she attended the 2013 Pikolinos Gala Dinner at the United Nations in New York City.
• In June 2014, she joined the Agriculture and Food Security Center of Columbia University’s The Earth Institute.
• In October 2014, she joined Vitruvia Consulting Corporation in New York as a chief people officer.
• In October 2015, she joined The ONE Campaign in South Africa.
• In December 2015, she joined the AIMS – Next Einstein Initiative in Rwanda.
• In February 2016, she left the Agriculture and Food Security Center of Columbia University’s The Earth Institute.
• In December 2018, she left the AIMS – Next Einstein Initiative in Rwanda.
• In February 2019, she left The ONE Campaign.

2020s

• On September 17, 2024, she hosted a workshop with the Miss Universe Botswana 2024 finalists.