Ugandan minister wants Ugandans to learn Kiswahili

1st April 2015 The Ministry of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda has advised government to do a teacher exchange program with Tanzania to teach Ugandans Kiswahili, and send Ugandans there to teach English. Head of the Ministry, Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere made this proposition during the Ministry of East African Community Affairs capacity-building project

Professor Kabwegyere affirmed that this would be effective for communication by eliminating language barriers which hinder the people of the country from enjoying the benefits which come from regional integration. He also noted that among the East African countries, Uganda had the lowest percentage of fluent Kiswahili speakers.

The Prof is quoted as saying that “Kiswahili is a language of communication in the integration process and it is urgent that every East African learns it, because to be competitive and gain greater good in the process, Ugandans need to learn the language urgently. The language is very relevant and we need to learn it urgently in order to break communication barriers with other East African countries. But we are slow because ignorance is holding many Ugandans back, but the faster we learn it, the more we shall enjoy the benefits of the integration.”