Stakeholders from across the East African Community (EAC) are appealing to the EAC Council of Ministers to expedite the ratification of Kiswahili as the official language of the bloc. This move is seen as a crucial step toward deepening regional integration.
Currently, only three of the eight EAC partner states—United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Kenya, and Republic of Uganda—have adopted Kiswahili as an official language. The Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the Republic of South Sudan have yet to do so.
In a significant push for this cause, more than 300 Kiswahili professionals have gathered in Mombasa for a two-day International East African Kiswahili Commission conference. The event, themed “Kiswahili, Elimu na wingi-lugha katika ufanikishaji wa Amani” (Kiswahili, Education, and Multilingualism in Achieving Peace), comes ahead of the World Kiswahili Day commemoration on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared July 7 as Kiswahili Day during its 41st General Conference, recognizing the language’s global significance. According to UNESCO, Kiswahili is one of the ten most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 230 million users.
Article 119 of the EAC treaty emphasizes the importance of promoting indigenous languages, especially Kiswahili, as a lingua franca for the region.
Speaking at the official opening of the conference on Friday, Gender, Culture, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa called on the Kiswahili professionals to formulate strong recommendations that would encourage EAC ministers to facilitate the adoption of Kiswahili as the community’s official language.
“We must glorify Kiswahili. Speaking Kiswahili is not a weakness; its richness shows its importance. If you’re a Kiswahili speaker like me, be proud. Not all people have the know-how and ability of Kiswahili language,” said CS Jumwa.
The push for Kiswahili as an official language is seen not only as a way to promote cultural heritage but also as a strategic move to enhance communication and cohesion among EAC member states.
As the conference progresses, participants hope that their collective efforts will lead to tangible steps by the EAC Council of Ministers, ensuring Kiswahili’s official status across the entire region.
