The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs wants the Uganda National Kiswahili Council to be hosted under the Ministry of Education and Sports as the suitable institution to promote Kiswahili language.
The Undersecretary in the Defence Ministry, James Mutabazi said their position is premised on the basis of the ministry’s position in curriculum development and their overall supervisory function over the education sector.
“The Uganda National Kiswahili bill, 2023 does not clearly specify who the minister for Kiswahili will be; it does not spell out the domicile ministry to host the council. The council would be most suitably hosted under the Ministry of Education and Sports given its role in language education and curriculum development,” Mutabazi said.
Mutabazi said this while appearing before the Committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development on Wednesday, 21 August 2024 where they presented their submission on the Uganda National Kiswahili Council Bill, 2023.
The Bill was tabled in Parliament on 28 February 2024 for the First Reading. The bill seeks to promote the usage of Kiswahili language in administrative, judicial and legislative process as a medium of communication by local governments.
It also seeks to establish the secretariat of the council to be headed by an executive secretary, provide for funds and auditing of the Council, and provide for making of bylaws to regulate the affairs of the staff of the Council.
Led by the State Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Sarah Mateke, the officials said the Education Ministry would work in unison with other government bodies such as the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi which already runs Kiswahili programmes.
“Kiswahili is one of the areas of study at NALI; if you meet anybody who has trained from there, he has studied and has been assessed in Kiswahili,” said Maj. Gen. Henry Matsiko (UPDF Representative).
The Defence Ministry also proposes that the council that intends to establish the Kiswahili Commission should be looked at as a unifying factor for the diverse ethnic groups in Uganda and ultimately, the unity of the eight-member East African Community.
Kyotera District Woman Representative, Hon Fortunate Rose Nantongo supported the proposal for the Education ministry to host the National Kiswahili Council, cognizant of its influence over schools which have a wide audience.
“The ministry has the mandate over curriculum development right from nursery to university. I think they can do a better job on promoting the language, they have the biggest audience considering the number of children in schools, when children learn language at an early age it is very possible that they will take it up,” she said.
MPs asked the ministry to justify its representation on the Kiswahili Council as proposed in the bill.
“We need to know your relevance as representatives on the Council. What are you going to add to the council and what would be your input?” asked Nakaseke Central County MP, Hon. Allan Mayanja.
Hon. Innocent Kiyaga (NUP, Mawokota County North) sought to understand the army’s strategies used to promote Kiswahili which has since been one of the army’s languages of operation.
“We are deliberating on the strategies of how Kiswahili can be promoted to the population. I would like to know how the army has managed to have Kiswahili as their language? Do we impose it on people and do we make it compulsory in schools?” Kiyaga asked.
UPDF is proposing that the National Swahili Council be hosted under the Ministry of Education and Sports because this ministry oversee schools where this language can easily be learnt from nursery to higher institutions of learning.
Officials from Ministry Defense and Veteran Affairs led by the State Minister of Defense Sarah Mateke, have been appearing before parliament’s’ committee on Gender Chaired by workers’ MPs Agnes Kunihira to present their views on Uganda National Kiswahili Council Bill 2023 being scrutinized by this committee.
The Bill was introduced in February by State Minister of Persons with Disabilities Helen Asamo, The Bill seeks to operationalize the Article 6(2) of the Constitution and the Protocol on the establishment the East African Kiswahili Commission.
The UPDF has noted that the bill lacks clarity on who will be responsible for Kiswahili and believes that the language would be best promoted under the Ministry of Education, given its role in language education and curriculum development nationwide.
Minister Sarah Mateke has emphasized that the Ministry of Education, with its mandate to develop curriculum from nursery to university, would be well-positioned to promote Swahili effectively.
Committee Chairperson Agnes Kunihira has expressed concern about how the language would be promoted and popularized at the local council level if the responsibility is given to the Ministry of Education.
In response, Henry Matsiko has highlighted that schools are widespread and could facilitate the dissemination of Swahili knowledge to students.
