Cabinet has approved the Principles for the Establishment of the Uganda National Kiswahili Council.
The council will guide the planning process, implementation of interventions and allocation of recourses to the usage and development of Kiswahili as a Lingua franca and ensure that the policy, legal and institutional framework are in place through setting standards for effective promotion, development and usage of Kiswahili at all levels;
The other objectives of the council include; to provide a framework for assessing the responsiveness of plans, policies, and interventions through systematic implementation of Kiswahili, Provide harmonization, coordination and collaboration among MDAs and stakeholders in the promotion, use and development in Uganda through registration of all the stakeholders in Kiswahili;
And to enhance the capacity of duty-bearers to provide Kiswahili services and resources.
Over the years, Uganda has been trying to adopt Kiswahili as a National Language for common understanding. Currently, Uganda which has more than 62 languages, uses English as the common language and it remains hard to adopt one of the many other languages as the National one.
Kiswahili is used in Tanzania and Kenya as the national language and other countries in the East African Community have been advised to adopt the same. Currently, Kiswahili is used by security forces and is taught in almost all schools in the country.
