By Rogers Wanambwa

KIU, Main Campus – On July 5th, 2022, the cabinet of Uganda approved Kiswahili to be adopted as the country's National Language. 

The cabinet also approved for Kiswahili to be taught compulsorily in Primary and Secondary schools. 

According to Wikipedia, Swahili, also known by its native name Kiswahili, is the native language of the Waswahili, found along the East African coast and litoral islands. It is also the most commonly spoken language in East Africa, where its origins are. 

Swahili speakers spread over more than 14 countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Comoros, and as far as Oman and Yemen in the Middle East.

Although the language hasn't been Uganda's national language, it has been widely used in official and everyday capacities. 

Swahili is “among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 200 million speakers,” UNESCO states.