Ugandan presidential candidate vows to scrap Kiswahili, adopt French as national language

By Martha Chacha

Dar es Salaam. Uganda’s Common Man’s Party (CMP) presidential candidate, Mubarak Munyagwa, has pledged to abolish Kiswahili as the national language and replace it with French in schools and public institutions.

Speaking at a campaign rally, Mr Munyagwa said the proposal was aimed at deepening Uganda’s ties with Francophone countries across Africa.

“We shall ban Kiswahili as a national language. What we need instead is French,” he declared. “French has a far wider reach. Burundi speaks French, Congo speaks French, Rwanda speaks French, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, the Central African Republic, all speak French. We do not need Kiswahili; what we need is English and French.”

His remarks come as President Yoweri Museveni’s administration actively promotes Kiswahili to strengthen integration within the East African Community (EAC). Uganda declared Kiswahili a national language in 2022, and it has since been rolled out in schools nationwide.

Kiswahili carries unique significance not only for Uganda but also for the region and the wider continent. It remains the most widely spoken African language, serving as a bridge across Kenya, Tanzania, the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and beyond.

Recognised by the African Union as a working language, Kiswahili has become a symbol of unity, cultural exchange, trade and political cooperation.

In 2017, Rwanda made a decision to designate Kiswahili as one of the official languages of the country, alongside Kinyarwanda, English and French

The recognition of Kiswahili is part of the commitments entered in 2007 in the East African Community, an organization founded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.