Government has officially resolved to make Kiswahili an official language.
This is in accordance with the implementation of the 21st East African Community (EAC), summit directive further recommended that the teaching of Kiswahili language in primary and secondary schools is to be made compulsory and examinable.
According to Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, the Swahili linguistic lectures will as well be extended to various fraternities including the media and cabinet.
“It was further agreed that training programs for Parliament, Cabinet, and the media be initiated,” he said.
The development comes months after the African Union-the apex organization for African states- adopted Kiswahili as one of its official working languages.
In 2017, Uganda National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) finalized the secondary school curriculum where Swahili was introduced as a compulsory subject alongside English.
Kiswahili, mainly spoken in the East African region, is a fusion of the dialect born of Bantu and Arabic languages,
Since its initiation in East Africa which came by a fusion of the dialect born of Bantu and Arabic languages, Kiswahili has positioned itself among the top 10 world’s most spoken languages and most widely used Africa’s native lingua.
The language has since earned an official national status in Kenya, Tanzania, and now Uganda. It is also widely spoken in parts of DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.
