Main Stories Popular Stories Regional

East African Community Continues To Push For Adoption Of Kiswahili Language

August 5, 2024
Kahungu Thembo
72 Comments

Kiswahili, a language developed on the coast of East Africa has been used as an official language for only two countries on a continent of more than 50 nations, yet many have clung on their former colonial master’s languages like French, English and Portuguese.

Only the United Republic of Tanzania and Kenya have Kiswahili as the national language while Uganda is working on the program to completely fall suit. In Uganda, Kiswahili is commonly spoken by the army because it has always been the language of command and parade.

Comparing East African Community (EAC) member states and their population’s proficiency in the Kiswahili language, Tanzania takes the lead with 95 percent of the population speaking it as first or second language; second is Kenya with 85 percent; Uganda comes third with an estimated 20 million people able to speak it though not fluently.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where over 200 local languages are spoken there are about 10 million speakers of Kiswahili as their first language while French is the national language. Swahili is also spoken in Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia but not at level of millions of people.

Kiswahili drive

Now, the EAC has intensified its crusade to ensure that the population in the seven member states embrace Kiswahili because it has a rich cultural heritage and can be used in fostering unity across the region.

Delivering the keynote address during the official opening session of the 2nd East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC) International Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary in charge of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Aisha Jumwa, urged East Africans to be proactive in developing Kiswahili and other African languages to enhance their global competitiveness.

“Kiswahili is spoken by over 200 million people worldwide. This demonstrates that our efforts to promote the language are yielding results and we should continue to advance these efforts,” Jumwa is quoted by the EAC media department in a recently released press statement.

She disclosed that Kenya is considering establishing a National Kiswahili-Speaking Day as part of efforts to promote the language at national level.

“In Kenya, we are discussing the possibility of designating a special day, possibly the 7th of July, when every Kenyan, including the President, judges, civil servants, and teachers, will be expected to speak exclusively in Kiswahili,” she said.

Jumwa further revealed that Kenya was in the final stages of establishing the National Swahili Council to develop specific strategies, methods and policies needed to promote and develop Kiswahili in the country, in addition to collaborating with national and private actors involved in the development of the Kiswahili language.

Speaking at the event, the EAKC Executive Secretary, Dr. Caroline Asiimwe, said that the conference aims to provide a platform for Kiswahili stakeholders to share knowledge, research evidence, best practices, experiences and perspectives on the role of Kiswahili education in enhancing a culture of peace.

“Kiswahili is not just a language of communication; it is fundamental to building our society, nations, and the EAC region. The issues discussed at the conference and the recommendations made will be crucial for the Commission to consider and implement in contributing to coordinated efforts to use Kiswahili for sustainable development in the EAC,” said Dr. Asiimwe.

“Peace is the foundation of development, and Kiswahili is also a pillar of development. It is encouraging that Kiswahili has been adopted as an official or national language in most EAC Partner States and is being taught at various levels of the school system,” added Dr. Asiimwe.

Speaking at the event, the Judge President of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), Justice Nestor Kayobera, emphasised the critical importance for officials of Partner States’ governments and EAC Organs and Institutions to consistently uphold the provisions of the EAC Treaty in the execution of their duties.

Justice Kayobera reiterated that strict adherence to the Treaty is essential to preventing unnecessary legal disputes before the EACJ, noting the significant financial resources spent on compensating aggrieved parties due to violations of the Treaty.

On his part, the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Joseph Ntakirutimana, expressed optimism about the future global prevalence of Kiswahili.

“To achieve regional cooperation, unity, socioeconomic development and prosperity, it is essential to strengthen our interactions through the use of a common language,” said Ntakirutimana.

The Speaker called on Partner States Ministers of EAC Affairs and other stakeholders to advocate for the adoption of Kiswahili as an official language across the region.

“Kiswahili is poised to transcend borders, becoming a universal language spoken across continents. This would signify a significant milestone for East Africa,” Ntakirutimana remarked.

In Uganda, the Government has put emphasis on Kiswahili with Cabinet having arranged for some weekly classes while the National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretariat recently announced such platforms for learning the language.

Author

72 thoughts on “East African Community Continues To Push For Adoption Of Kiswahili Language”

  5. Uau, layout incrível do blog Há quanto tempo você bloga, você fez o blog parecer fácil A aparência geral do seu site é magnífica, assim como o conteúdo

    Reply

  7. Obrigado, há muito tempo que procuro informações sobre este assunto e a sua é a melhor que descobri até agora. Mas e em relação aos resultados financeiros Você tem certeza em relação ao fornecimento

    Reply

  9. Hello Neat post Theres an issue together with your site in internet explorer would check this IE still is the marketplace chief and a large element of other folks will leave out your magnificent writing due to this problem

    Reply

  12. Admiring the time and energy you put into your site and detailed information you offer. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material. Great read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    Reply

  14. Very nice article and straight to the point. I don’t know if this is really the best place to ask but do you guys have any ideea where to employ some professional writers? Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  38. Hi! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you

    Reply

  44. With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any methods to help protect against content from being ripped off? I’d definitely appreciate it.

    Reply

  48. Attractive section of content I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts Anyway I will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently fast

    Reply

  57. Hi would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m looking to start my own blog soon but I’m having a difficult time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

    Reply

  58. You can definitely see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.

    Reply

  60. Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your website in internet explorer, would check this… IE still is the market leader and a huge portion of people will miss your excellent writing because of this problem.

    Reply

  62. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. An excellent read. I will certainly be back.

    Reply

  67. Nice post. I learn something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store. I’d prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *