An alliance of Kiswahili lovers has called on Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to make Kiswahili compulsory in all stages of learning and education in Kenya.
Led by long serving Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan, leading linguist Prof Kimani Ngogu and celebrated Kiswahili poet Nuhu Bakari, they lamented the absence of a dedicated council to promote the language’s use in Kenya.
He said the KICD ought to make the initial move by making it compulsory and cultivating the Kiswahili culture since the language has a long celebrated history in the country.
Hassan said foreigners ought to be subjected to Kiswahili tests to ground the language and along those lines President Ruto must use Kiswahili in his official speeches instead of English if he wants to reach as many Kenyans as possible.
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“Swahili significance and prominence is largely driven by its official status within the regional blocks such as the African Union (AU) and the East Africa Community, which promote its use in both regional and international settings,’’ he said.
In the same vein, Nuhu called on Parliament to adopt the use of Kiswahili in all its sessions to emphasize and justify the language’s growing importance and interest worldwide, which is spurred by a variety of factors that underline its cultural, diplomatic and linguistic significance.
Ngogu said the yet to be formed Kiswahili council will be pivotal in promoting all matters related and pertaining to the language.
And with the rallying call ‘Kiswahili Kitukuzwe’, he called on the KICD to include the language in the syllabus as a compulsory subject at all educational levels.
By Amoto Ndiewo
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