The Minister for East African Community Affairs, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, has flagged off a select group of Kiswahili cadres on a 7-day tour in Tanzania and Zanzibar to allow them to interact with the core Kiswahili environment.
While reading a statement on behalf of Kadaga at Kingdom Kampala on Thursday, August 15, 2024, Hon. James Magoda said that the flagging off is part of the process to systematically consolidate the mission that the East African Community summit and Council of Ministers have been nurturing to kick-start the Kiswahili program in the region.
“This guided tour shall enable our learners to come face-to-face with the native Kiswahili speakers, thereby impacting their knowledge and proficiency of the Kiswahili language,” Kadaga said.
“The Kiswahili program boasts a team of competent facilitators who have helped to put together a comprehensive study curriculum for the learners. Most of our learners can now competently speak Kiswahili, and they are ready to go to the communities to teach other members of the public,” Kadaga added.
Minister Kadaga also revealed that her office is still in the process of rolling out the Kiswahili program to the districts of Uganda.
“Our aim is to establish a Kiswahili learning and teaching centre in each district or local government, and I can confidently announce that the pilot launch of the district focal centers will be in Jinja City on Wednesday, October 2, 2024,” Kadaga said.
The NRM Secretary General, Richard Todwogo, warned those who politicize these programs to stop, stating that they are for all Ugandans regardless of their political loyalties.
“We call upon those in opposition political parties to participate in these courses because they are funded by the government of Uganda, and I even don’t know which political parties these cadres belong to,” Todwong said.
On September 13, 2023, Minister Kadaga, in partnership with the office of the NRM Secretariat, launched the Kiswahili program and started the pioneer class with 30 students, but as of today, the class has grown to more than 700 learners.
According to Kadaga, the first intake of Kiswahili students will climax with a grand graduation ceremony at Kololo independence grounds on September 27, 2024, and the ceremony will be graced by President Museveni.
