KAMPALA - $800 million is the sum Uganda has allocated to promote and teach Kiswahili across the country.
The move to teach Africa’s most widely spoken language, with over 200 million speakers, is meant to foster regional integration. Most Kiswahili speakers are concentrated in East Africa, particularly in Tanzania and Kenya.
It is spoken to a lesser extent in Uganda and DR Congo. The new drive by the Ugandan government will see the language taught to civil servants including doctors, border workers, nurses, judges and cabinet ministers.
The Ugandan government in 2022 notably adopted Kiswahili as an official language and directed that it be made a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools. It is, however, only currently taught in a few secondary schools in Uganda.
