Ugandans urged to embrace Kiswahili as EAC language

Kampala. Ugandans have been urged to learn Kiswahili because it will soon become one of the official languages of the East African Community (EAC).

The Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), Mr Daniel Kidega, and Ugandan MP said most Ugandans had not taken the language currently spoken almost throughout the region seriously.

He told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing plenary of the regional Assembly that already Eala had passed a resolution to make Kiswahili one of the working languages of the EAC alongside with English.

The resolution was passed at a session held in Arusha in August last year during which lawmakers stressed the need to elevate Kiswahili as one of the languages to be used in official business.

Under the  Treaty for the Establishment of EAC, English is the official language of the EAC, while Kiswahili had the status of lingua franca; a community language among the populace.

Kiswahili is both a national and official language of Tanzania and the national language in Kenya. Outside the two countries, it is spoken by 70 per cent and 50 per cent of the people of Burundi and Rwanda respectively. It is also widely spoken in several countries in eastern, central and southern Africa.

An Eala from Uganda Suzan Nakauki echoed Mr Kidega’s remarks, saying the level of Kiswahili in her country left much to be desired and that the country was behind the rest of EAC member countries - with the exception of South Sudan - on the use of the language.

“I am appealing to Ugandans to learn Kiswahili. It will soon become the official language of Eala,” she pointed out, noting that already the government had introduced it as one of the compulsory languages in schools. Eala, which is currently holding a session in the city of Kampala, once again passed a  resolution on Wednesday seeking to speed up the process of making Kiswahili one of the official languages of the Assembly.