Uganda’s presidential aspirant Mubarak Munyagwa has vowed to abolish the Swahili language if he clinches the top seat.
Munyagwa said Swahili is not widely spoken and denies Ugandans international opportunities. The Common Man Party (CMP) leader said that instead of Swahili, he proposes that Uganda adopt the French language, which is widely used in African and international countries.
“We shall ban Swahili as our national language, we shall ban it, we need French instead. French has a wider coverage; Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Gabon, and the Central Republic speak French; we don’t need Swahili. We need English and French,” he said.
English is Uganda’s national language and the official language used in government, education, and legal systems.
Swahili was also declared an official language in 2005 to promote regional integration within the East African Community.
Kenya, Uganda, Zanzibar, and Tanzania are the main countries that speak Swahili as either their national or official language. Some countries, such as DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Malawi, and Comoros, speak Swahili in some parts of the country.
French is one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa, with more than 30 countries using it as either an official or administrative language.
In West Africa, French dominates across several nations, including Mauritania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
These countries inherited French as a colonial language and continue to use it in government, education, and trade.
In Central Africa, French is also a key language of communication. It is the official language in Cameroon (alongside English), the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.
English-speaking African countries include Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Uganda is gearing up for general elections in 2026. The Electoral Commission cleared eight candidates to contest the 2026 presidential election including the incumbent president, Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking the 7th term in office.
